Don't Be Afraid
by Nicole Blaire
Summary: Clary is diagnosed with schizofrenia. Clary accepts this fact and agrees to do whatever it takes to get better. But what happens when she figures out that all of these "monsters" she's seeing, aren't just hallucinations? What are Luke and Jocelyn hiding? Energize W.I.P. Award Winner! First Place!
1. Chapter 1

**Whazzup guys? Lol So this is my first mortal instruments fic and my first suspensy-type fic so it's not gonna be perfect but I'll give it a shot lol There's a little bit of OOC...ok maybe a lot of OOC haha especially with Jace but I think that's it.**

**Here goes nothing!**

"How are you feeling today?"

_Scritch, scritch, scritch._

I couldn't hear anything over the scratching of the pencil on paper. And even if I _was_ trying to pay attention, the noise would've drifted in one ear and leaked out of the other.

The more I drew the more the image that was painted in my mind began to disappear. Good. That was very good. I never wanted to see that dreadful sight again.

"Clarissa?"

Hearing my name being said like that, emphasis on the _ris_ made me freeze. It was the way _they_ called me. It only made things worse.

I cleared my throat, as I sat my pencil down and pushed the drawing away from me. I sat up and smiled apologetically. "Sorry. I was in the zone."

The woman, Dr. Harple smiled. "It's quite all right. May I ask what you were drawing?"

I shrugged, trying to play the whole thing as nonchalant. "Something I saw in a dream. Nothing too important."

"Can I look at it?"

I looked back at the dark picture. "You could," I started. "But I won't let you."

"Why not?" Her voice was calm and patient. I should've been able to answer her without being rude. But behind that kindness I sensed something. Like she was purposely digging, searching for the core of my soul. And I didn't like it. We met one _freaking_ week ago and this is our first session. What makes her think I'm gonna give her so much information on the first date?

"I don't let anyone look at them," I said, closing the book. "Most of them are kind of dark. I don't like to scare people. I burn them when they're finished."

"So you've shown them to people before?"

I nodded. "I drew my first one in sixth grade. It was exactly how I imagined it. So, I showed it to my mom." I laughed humorlessly. "Almost gave her a heart attack."

Dr. Harple sat up in her chair, gripping her pen in a death hold. But when she spoke, her voice was still calm. Like she had practiced it over and over. Maybe that's what was causing the dark circles under her eyes. "What was the picture of?"

"I don't remember," I said. "That's why I burn them. So I can forget."

"Why do you want to forget them? Most artists hang their pictures up on their wall. Why not you?"

"Because," I said harshly. "When I have those horrible nightmares, there's always one part that stays with me. And everywhere I look, there's that dream, haunting me. The only way I can make it go away is to draw it and then burn it."

"When did your nightmares start?"

"I don't remember. I just know I've been having them for a long time."

"Do, you have a hard time sleeping at night, Clarissa?"

I flinched.

There it was again. That _goddamned_ name.

"It's Clary," I said firmly. "My name is Clary."

She smiled. "I apologize, Clary. But back to your sleeping habits?"

I shook my head. "No. It's actually extremely easy. At the end of the day, I'm always tired."

"Have you been feeling depressed lately? Or maybe angry?"

I scoffed. "Uh, hello? That's every day of my life." I rolled my eyes. "I'm in high school. There's always some stupid bitch trying to make your life a living hell."

"Is school always this stressful?"

God, what an idiot! "I may be exaggerating a bit. But no, I guess not. Depending on what day of the week it is."

"Why does the date matter?"

"Date means everything," I said as if the answer were obvious. "Mondays are the worst, Wednesdays are better and Fridays are kick-ass."

"Do you have a lot of friends at school?"

"If by that you mean am I popular? No. But I'm not completely alone. I've got a few friends."

"What are they like?"

"Friendly."

Dr. Harple smiled but I could see impatience beginning to spark in her eyes. "Anything else you can tell me about them?"

"Not at the moment."

She looked up at me, a serious face on now. "Clary, you're safe here. You can tell me anything."

I crossed my arms and leaned back on the couch. "I think I'll be the judge of that."

Dr. Harple pointed at a certificate hanging on her wall. "My job is _literally_ all about confidentiality."

I nodded. "I know. But you understand, don't you? Even if someone said they were trustworthy, you wouldn't give out all of your friend's information out to a stranger, would you?"

She looked down, writing more things on her notepad. "You're a smart girl."

I didn't respond. I only watched her write. "Do you think I'm crazy."

"No," she answered immediately. "I think something's bothering you. You just won't say anything about it. Or maybe you're in denial. Nothing that can't easily be fixed."

"Be fixed," I repeated. "So you think there's something wrong with me?"

"I never said that."

"It was implied."

Dr. Harple cleared her throat. "That's all the time for today."

"Bull_shit_."

"That's all," she said slower, "the time we have." She stood up and opened the door and invited my mother into the room. "Clary, could you wait out in the hall? I'd like to speak with your mother alone."

I picked up my notebook and pencil and sat in the hallway while the two women conversed about how crazy I was.

_Clarissa…_

I clenched my eyes shut and blindly searched for my iPod in my school bag.

_Don't be afraid…we don't bite…much._

My fingers wrapped themselves around my iPod and ripped it out of the pocket it was safely tucked into.

I shoved the headphones in my ears and impatiently waited for the damned thing to turn on.

_We're coming for you…_

Finally the apps popped up and I knew I was safe. I clicked the music app.

_I see you…_

My hand froze above the play button.

Slowly, I tilted my head up and swept the room with my eyes.

There was the girl at the reception, pretty brown hair tucked into a messy braid and a gold crucifix that was rusting slightly was hanging from her neck.

It wasn't her.

A middle-aged woman trying to comfort her autistic teenage boy by the front door. Her hair was graying at the roots and dark circles were under her eyes.

When her son agreed to go into the room with the psychiatrist, she smiled and kissed his cheek. Then she sat down in one of the chairs and began to cry lightly.

Not her either.

_You can't find me…_

I pressed play on the screen and turned it up as loud as I dared.

A young looking woman with beautiful light brown hair walked in with a boy, who was only a tiny bit taller than her.

His hair was blonde but browning at the roots. Was that her son? No. The woman was too young.

Wait, is that I gray hair, I see?

Ok. So the boy is her son. Maybe.

The two of them sat down at the chairs closer to me, neither of them wanting to be next to the crying woman in the corner.

The blonde boy caught my gaze. It was only maybe for a moment but that moment felt like it lasted forever.

What was wrong with his eyes?

They were gold, almost the same color as his hair. They were absolutely beautiful. But was that normal?

The woman saw him gazing at me and looked at me as well. She smiled sweetly and I nodded my head in acknowledgment.

I'm sure there was more people but none in the hallway/waiting room.

I was almost sure that the man was lying. So I leaned back in my chair and allowed myself to relax.

Theory of a Deadman's music made me smile. Not only were they're songs realistic, they were funny as shit.

A door towards the back of the building opened.

I watched as a young woman, no more than twenty, left the room with the psychiatrist following her. They were laughing as if they'd heard a joke.

But then I looked into the man's eyes and his whole figure changed.

He wasn't real. There was no handsome redhead with light blue eyes. He was only using the body as a meat suit.

Under that body was a creature that had bluish-grayish skin, like he was rotting. His teeth were black, no nose, just two holes in the middle of his face. And his eyes were blank. Literally. They had no color, no pupils, no nothing. Just white.

He smiled at me.

The blonde boy and his possible mother stood up and began to walk towards the man.

"No!" I ran in front of them, forcing them to stop.

The woman looked concerned and the blonde boy looked straight-up annoyed.

"Don't go with him," I said shakily. "You can't."

"Clary, what the hell do you think your doing?"

I could hear the man cackling in my head at the mention of hell.

My mom stood by the doorway to Dr. Harple's office.

Dr. Harple was writing things down in her notepad again.

I looked back at the people in front of me.

The blonde boy was staring at the not-so-sweet psychiatrist. There was fear in his eyes. Good. He sees it too. I'm not insane.

The woman was waving her hand in his face, trying to get his attention.

Finally, my mom came and grabbed my arm. "Clary, let's go," my mom said. "You're making a scene."

"Good," I replied.

"Is there a problem here?"

I yelped and ran behind my mother like a little kid.

The pupil-less creature was standing in front of us, eyes glued on mine, same cocky smirk there.

If he wanted to kill me why didn't he just do it all ready?

"No," my mom said. "We're just leaving." She tried to drag me away. And I should've followed her. But I was scared for the boy. His skin was already pale. So to see all the blood drain from his face wasn't a very pretty sight.

"Jace, go with Dr. Anderson," the woman said.

"No," he snapped. "I'm not going anywhere with him."

"Clary, let's _go_." She tugged my arm harder. She was too strong to resist. So I stumbled down the hall, my eyes glued on the two of them, hoping they'd get away safely.

"Clary, _stop it_."

I almost turned around and told her to shut up while I listened.

"Maryse, don't make me go with him," the boy, Jace, said.

She, Maryse, sighed. "I'm sorry, Dr. Anderson. Do you mind if we reschedule?"

"Of course," the creature said. "It's not a problem. I think I'm free next Friday but I'll have to check. Can I call you later, around eight-ish?"

"Clarissa Fray," my mom whisper-yelled, "if you don't get your ass in the car right this very instance, so help me-"

I strained to hear over my mother's voice.

"Sure. Again-"

"-I will take you over my knee-" my mother continued.

"-very sorry about this."

The two of them turned around and headed for the front doors.

I stopped resisting my mom and ran to the car, slamming the door shut and taking deep breaths.

My mother and I didn't talk on the way to our apartment. I wasn't sure if she was mad about what happened at community center or not. But how could you blame your daughter for being crazy.

But then again, I'm not crazy.

Ugh, I wish I was crazy. I hate it when my mother's mad at me.

But if I was crazy I'd have to take a bunch a pills.

Man, does my life suck.

**So? You guys like it? If you didn't maybe it'll get better along the way? I don't know. Lol review plz!**

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	2. Chapter 2

**Anyone excited about chapter 2? Yes? No? Maybe so? Lol never mind here's the chapter**

Mom still hadn't said a word. And it was starting to creep me out.

It was absolutely silent in the car. And that was dangerous. That voice could come back, talking eerily in my head.

I pulled out my iPod again and pressed shuffle, relaxing as I did so.

I kept my gaze out the passenger window, trying to keep my thoughts away from what had just happened.

As we drove, noticed that we weren't on the road that led to home.

"Where are we going?" I asked, taking one of the earplugs out.

"Home," Mom said.

"It doesn't look like it."

"One of the roads are being repaved so I had to go the long way."

I turned back to face the window just in time to see a huge mansion.

The woman and the boy that I saw at the community center, Jace and Maryse I think, were getting out of their car and walking inside.

So, that's where they lived. I'd have to remember that.

I was planning on seeing the boy again. He was the only one who could see the things I did. Well, so it seemed. It was also possible that he was just as crazy as I am. But I couldn't take that chance.

I needed to talk to him. I just didn't know how or when.

When we got to our apartment, the first thing I did was rip out the picture in my notebook and burned it on the spot.

When I got in my room and sat on the bed, I could only remember bits and pieces. Of course if I dug deep, I'd probably find all the pictures I thought were gone but to hell with that, right?

I pulled out my cell and found an unread message from Simon, my best friend and otherwise, my surrogate brother.

_Call me when you're finished- S_

With a light smile, I pressed the call button, wondering what lame video game he was playing this time.

"Hello-Oh c'mon, Donald!" he yelled. "What the hell'd you do that for? Fuck!"

I burst into a fit of giggles, trying not to be too loud. "Simon, if a game makes you this mad then why do you play it?"

"Because!" he cleared his throat and lowered his voice. "Because, they're so addicting. I mean, I shouldn't even be playing this game. It's extremely stupid. But I can't just leave it unbeaten, you know?"

I shook my head. "No, I don't know. I'm not a dork like you."

"You're such a bitch," he said. "No wonder you're seeing a therapist."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever. Just tell me what game you're playing."

He was quiet for a moment. I was about to make sure he didn't hang up on me when he said, "No. If I tell you, you'll laugh at me."

"Silly, Simon," I said in a patronizing voice, "You know I'll laugh at you no matter what you do."

"Thanks, for the reassurance."

I laughed. "I promise I won't make fun of you. Just tell me. How bad can it be?"

He was quiet again. "Kingdom Hearts."

I had to cover my mouth to keep from going into hysterics. Simon's played some really stupid games in the past like, Dynasty Warriors, Silent Hill and even Final Fantasy. But Kingdom Hearts? Is he serious?

I could feel my face growing cold from lack of oxygen.

"Clary! You said you wouldn't laugh!"

"I'm not!" I said in choked voice.

"Yes, you are, I can hear you wheezing a mile away."

I snorted.

"See?"

I took a deep breath and regained control of myself. "I'm sorry, but Kingdom Hearts? It's just a bunch of Disney Characters!"

"It is no-well…maybe it is. But it's a cool game."

"Uh-huh."

"You say that because you're a deprived child." He paused and I could hear the sound of a car crashing on the game. "Shit."

"Fail."

"Hey, what are you doing tonight?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Nothing, why?"

"You should come over and help me with our summer reading."

"Ok, what book did you choose?"

"_The Portrait of Dorian Gray _and _Huck Finn_," he said as if it were gross.

"Are you kidding? Those are the easiest book I've ever read," I said incredulously.

"And you're calling me a dork? Well, what book did you choose, Smarty-pants."

"_Lord of the Flies_ and _To Kill a Mockingbird._"

"Ew, I was thinking about getting that one because it was short but it seemed stupid. I thought the one written by Oscar Wilde would be better but it's really not."

"Well, how far are you?"

"I'm, like, seventy pages in."

"Dude, you haven't even made a dent."

Simon sighed. "Just come help me."

I laughed. "Ok, I'm on my way."

I hung up the phone and packed my ratty old green messenger bag and went to leave but I ran into Luke on the way to the door.

"Hey, Clary. Where're you going?" he asked.

"Over Simon's. He said he needs help with summer reading." I rolled my eyes. "You know how he is."

Luke chuckled. "Yeah, I know. But before you leave, I need to give you something."

"Sure, what is it?"

He put his finger over his lips, telling me to be quiet and then pointed his finger to my mom who was starting dinner.

I nodded and followed him into the room he and Mom shared and closed the door behind me.

We sat on the edge of the bed. I picked at lint that was still lying on my shirt while Luke fidgeted with his hands.

"Is something wrong?" I asked.

Luke shook his head. "No." He cleared his throat and grabbed a white box out of one of the drawers on his nightstand. I thought it might've been a necklace. "Jocelyn told me what happened."

I sighed. "I didn't mean to, but you should've seen the guy! He was-"

"Clary, no one's blaming you," he said gently. "I'm proud, you did the right thing."

Ok, now I was confused. I mean, it's not like I wanted him to yell at me but I was expecting him to be so accepting that his stepdaughter was nuts.

He held out the box for me to take. "Here. Be careful with it, it's very fragile."

I carefully took it out of his hands and placed it in my lap. "What is it?"

"Open it," he laughed.

I lifted the lid, thinking I'd find some beautiful sapphire colored pendant but found a pen.

I grabbed it and waved it in the air. "This is a pen."

"Not just any pen," Luke said.

"You gave me a _pen?_"

Luke snatched the pen and laid it carefully back in its box. "It's not just a pen. It used to be mine when I was your age. And I need you to take good care of it."

"Ok," I said putting the lid back on. "I'll only use it if I can't find my pencil."

"Clary, be serious. It's not an ordinary pen."

I smiled. "Is this the part where you tell me to take the cap off and it turns into a sword?"

"No. You'll know what to do with it when the time is right. But I'll give you a hint." He leaned into my ear and whispered. "It's not something you used for writing purposes."

Ok, if it's not used for writing purposes then why is it called a pen? Whatever.

I put it into one of the pockets of my bag, trusting that Luke wasn't as loony as I thought he was at the moment.

"Can I go now?" I asked.

Luke smiled. "Yes. I'll see you when you get back."

I stood up, grabbed my bike from the living room and rolled it out the door and onto the street.

In a few short minutes, I was locking it around the streetlight.

I guess Simon had seen me out the window and came to greet me at the door.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey. Ready to get down to work?"

Simon groaned. "Yeah, let's go."

"Remember, you're the one who invited me."

"Yeah. Shit. I'll know better next time."

I laughed and followed him up the stairs and into his room. His TV screen still had that dumb game he was playing on pause. "You better not play that while I'm helping you study."

"I won't, but when we're done, I won't feel like turning it back on so I paused it. Plus, it takes forever to find a save point on here."

I shook my head. "Ok, let me see your book," I said as I pulled out my laptop.

He handed it to me and I opened it to where he left off. "Simon, you're seventy pages in."

"That's what I told you," he said, staring at the paused video game with a glint in his eye.

I turned the TV off and turned his face to me. "How is it not grabbing your interest yet?"

Simon laughed as he crossed his arms. "Dude, that book sucks!"

"What?" I gasped. "Dorian's about to get married! And do you even pay attention to all of the bullshit Harry's been feeding him?"

"I don't understand half of what he's saying."

Groaning, I went onto a website that I thought would help him. "There's a website called CliffsNotes. Kind of like Spark Notes but better in my opinion." I clicked on the link. "If you read it, it should help."

Simon reluctantly looked at the screen. "Ok."

I laughed. "It's really not that hard of a read."

"How many times do I have to tell you," Simon practically whined, "that I don't have your super-smart brain?"

Ruffling his hair as I said, "You do, they're just fried from all of those video games you play."

So we spent about an hour reading the book together, well, _I_ read the book but Simon half the time was pretending he had a text from his mom from work when he was really playing Doodle Jump on his iPhone.

"Simon, put the damn thing down!" I said as I straddled him, reaching for the phone.

"No! I'm almost done!" Even though I was on top of him, he expertly tilted and turned the thing so he didn't die.

"_Simon!_"

Finally he reached another level. "Ok, ok, I'm done. Here."

I snatched it away from him and put it on top of his dresser just as his Mom popped her head in. She didn't seem too surprised to see me there.

"Hey there, Clary."

I smiled. "Hi, Ms. Lewis."

"I was thinking about going out for dinner. You guys up for it?"

"Sure," Simon said.

"Is it all right with your parents?" she asked.

I nodded. "I'm sure it will. Just let me give them a text."

"Ok. Come down when you're ready.

Simon waited until his mother left the room when he said, "And on the way, you can tell me what happened at your therapy session."

If it were anyone else, I would roll my eyes and lecture them on the definition of confidential. And that's when I'm in a good mood. But this wasn't anyone else. It was Simon. I couldn't keep anything from him, even if I tried.

So, I waited until we were on the subway so the background noise could cover my hushed voice. And then I told him.

**So? Is it boring? Is it good? Again, it's only the second chapter but I'm trying! Lol Review plz!**

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	3. Chapter 3

**Ok! Chapter three! Haha Here goes!**

"What? It was one of the therapists! No way!"

I shrugged. "I don't know. I think it was but then again, I might just be crazy."

Simon made a face and shook his head. "No, you're not. Trust me, I've witnessed crazy and you're not it."

I smiled. "Thanks."

"Ok, kids, we're here," Ms. Lewis said.

We followed Simon's mother off the train, up the steps and to the new café down the street from Pandemonium.

Simon sat next to me in the booth and his mother across from us.

"Wow," Simon whispered. "It's really quiet in here."

I hadn't even noticed it until he brought it up.

Looking around, I noticed that every_thing_ was looking at me. Not every_one_. Every_thing_.

They were the creatures that I see in my dreams.

"So, how's your summer reading coming along, Simon?" Ms. Lewis asked.

Simon shrugged. "Clary's helping me with it." He looked over to me with a smile but it staggered when he saw my expression.

But I hid it when Ms. Lewis looked too. "Simon's doing really well. He just gets distracted easily."

She laughed. "That's my boy."

Simon tried to keep up the conversation, every now and then, adding me in.

I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. It was a text from Simon.

_What's wrong?_ it read.

I clicked reply and quickly wrote a response. _They're here._

_Who?_

_Those creatures! They're here! Simon, I'm scared!_

_Don't be. Maybe they're just looking. I mean, if you hadn't noticed, your top is really tight._

I glared at him.

Then I heard a voice that made me jump.

"Hi! What can I get for you guys today?" The waitress was tall and lean with perfect blonde hair framing her face. She was beautiful. Unnaturally beautiful. Her skin was so pale, it was almost blue and her bright green eyes shined like metal. I just knew she was one of those creatures. I just couldn't see past her Façade.

"I'll have a coke," Simon said. He subtly cocked his head toward the woman and raised his eyebrow in question.

I nodded, telling him that she was one of them.

Simon shook his head and mouthed, "She's hot!"

I rolled my eyes at him. Never could take anything seriously.

"I'll have a sprite," Ms. Lewis said.

"And you?" When she looked at me, I felt cold shivers down my spine. Her eyes stared at me as if she could hear my heart pounding and the thoughts running through my head.

"Water." My voice cracked so I cleared my throat. "Please."

"Coming right up."

Even though she was wearing pumps, when she walked away, she was almost silent. Just a light tap every step, as if she were tiptoeing.

"I think she likes you," Simon laughed.

Something moved behind Ms. Lewis that caught my eye.

It was a man-well, a creature pretending to be a man-who was staring right at me. He licked his lips and then pursed his lips at me.

I looked at Simon but he was too busy talking with his mom to notice.

I looked back at the thing and he now hand his hand in his jewels moving his hand back and forth. And I thought I saw something swinging. I thought it was his leg but that was just part of his cover. It was really a…_a tail?_

I forced my eyes to focus somewhere else.

"Here are your drinks." She placed them on the table so fast, I swear her she blurred. "You guys need another minute to decide on your meal?"

"Uh, I think I'll have a BLT," said Simon.

"Ok, would you like fries with that?"

"Yes."

The waitress turned her gaze to Ms. Lewis. "I'll have a chicken tender."

And finally she looked at me again. Her eyes held a certain emotion that I didn't see with Simon or Ms. Lewis. I wasn't sure why she was so infatuated with me. Or why she intimidated me.

If anything, I should be afraid of the perv that sitting two tables from me. But when I looked at this girl, my heart skipped beats, sweat beaded up at my hair line and I felt like my lungs were squeezing themselves and I just couldn't get enough air.

I swallowed. "I'll have the potato salad."

"Would you like anything on the side with that? We have french fries, coleslaw…"

"Can I have the coleslaw?"

She nodded. "You're dinner will be ready momentarily."

Simon finally found the pervert I was staring at for the past five minutes and shook his head. "Is that one of them?" he asked.

I nodded.

"That's disgusting. And the kid next to him looks like he's on crack."

I looked at the young boy and recoiled. His hair stood up in every which way, his pupils were huge and he had the world's ugliest tattoo on his shoulder. And he stared at me like a dog on a leash, wishing he could come and lick my hand but was being restrained.

"Clary, is everything ok?" Ms. Lewis asked. "You seem a bit tense."

I smiled. "I'm ok. I guess it's a little weird being right across the street from the Pandemonium Club," I lied.

She nodded. "I understand. But I wouldn't have taken you here if things were so bad. I just wanted to see what the place was like, that's all."

So, we chatted. And by chat I mean, Simon and his mother talked while I tried my best not to come off as insane.

"Dinner is served!"

Again with the startling! What is with this chick?

"Just let me know if you guys need anything else." She smiled but kept her gaze on me for an extra moment before walking away.

I distracted myself by stuffing my face with potato salad.

Simon and his mother continued to converse. I took the time to look around and find out what I was up against.

As I scanned the café, I caught the waitress's eye.

She looked stiff, a sort of anger shining in her blue eyes. She cocked her head to the restrooms. And I knew that I shouldn't have gone. I mean, wasn't I complaining about how freaky she was? And now look at me, I actually wanted to fall into her trap.

But as stupid as it was, I excused myself from the table and walked to the bathroom.

_Don't be afraid…_ the voice said again.

Oh shut up!

The blonde woman was hot on my heels the minute I stepped up the stairs even though I was a whole lot closer to the restrooms than her.

I checked to make sure my keys were still in my pocket, just in case I needed to use something as a weapon.

The woman closed the door behind us and locked it.

I clenched my keys.

She rolled her eyes. "Would you relax? I'm not gonna hurt you."

"Bitch please," I snapped. "Don't even start with that shit. I took karate for a long time and I guarantee you, I can serve your head on a platter in seconds." A total lie of course but hey, you know the saying. When in trouble, make yourself look big.

The woman was a good ten feet away from me. But she was in my face in a second, dangling my only weapon in my face. "Oops." Then she was back at her starting spot. "Now. Can we talk? Please?"

"What do you want?" I said in a shaky voice.

Again, she rolled her eyes and glared at me. "You need to get out of here. There's a lot of people staring at you and if you're smart, you'll know they want to hurt you."

"But why?" I cried. "I didn't do anything!"

She scoffed. "Hell if I know! I'm just trying to help you out here. Oh, well, I guess you'll need these."

With her super speed, she placed my keys back in my hand.

"What are you?" I asked.

The woman glared. "You shouldn't ask that question here. But you're young. You'll learn. Now move it."

I scurried to the door and tried to unlock it but it wouldn't budge.

"For the love of-!" She stopped herself, like she couldn't stand to say anything blasphemous.

Then she unlocked the door for me and practically pushed me out.

I thought she was still behind me until I saw her standing in front of my table, collecting the empty plates.

She smiled at me when she caught my gaze. "Have a nice day!"

When we were back home, I made up some lie about how I needed to get home. So I packed my bag and hopped onto my bike as fast as I could.

Simon waved at the window and I waved back.

I grabbed the bottle of mace I kept with me when I went out alone. The sky was blackening by the second and I didn't know who or what I'd run into.

Deciding that the sound of cars honking and engines running was too annoying, I plugged in my ear buds and began listening to my iPod.

Darkness was starting to envelop the setting sun, so I peddled faster. The light was fading and the streetlights were coming on one by one.

I forced myself to stop thinking about it and just focused on getting home.

The song that was playing ended and there were a few seconds of silence.

_We're coming for you…_

The voice had startled me so bad, I had to stop to catch my breath. I almost forgot about him.

Taking a deep breath, I told myself that he was only part of my imagination and I was safe.

I was about to start riding again, when something crashed into me, hurling me to the ground.

My whole right side throbbed as I tried to make sense of what happened.

Turning over, I made to stand up but instead was punched by an unrecognizable black figure.

"_Help! Somebody please help me!_" I screamed at the top of my lungs, trying to get someone's attention.

The thing gripped my hair and pulled me to my feet. And that's when I saw it.

Its eyes were a dark red, rotted teeth, claws cutting into my head and arms.

"Found you."

I scrambled to get out hold, trying to get away. "Someone plea-"

It hit me again, knocking me back to the ground.

I could barely move, and my thoughts were scattered. Who was the man that was dragging me away? Why did everything hurt so bad?

My head was pounding. The more I tried to understand, the more tired I felt. So I stayed quiet and let him drag me away.

I was sitting in something wet and leaning against something hard. A wall maybe? I didn't know. Everything was dark.

The man stood in front of me, his hand raised like he was going to hit me.

I tried to crawl away but he got me anyway.

I screamed in pain. That was different. It didn't feel like a punch. It felt like something sharp had cut my cheek.

I could faintly see something shiny on his…_tail?_ A tail! It was a tail with knives on top! Where have I seen that before?

I kept crawling but I he gripped my hair again and slammed me against the wall.

My eyes started to droop without my permission.

I heard something rip and then felt a breeze of warm air on my chest. My shirt. Gone.

I whimpered, too tired to do anything else.

Then my jeans and underwear were missing.

"No…" I said. "Don't. Get…off."

He didn't listen. He was suddenly on top of me and my heart started to race.

My body was paralyzed and I'm sure that if everything wasn't so dark, there would be black spots in my vision.

I uselessly pushed and hit but I knew nothing would happen.

Suddenly, the weight was thrown off of me. I was saved. I think.

I opened my eyes and tried to look but everything was black. I felt myself collapse on the damp floor and then blessed unconsciousness.

**DUN DUN DUN!** **So, it was getting a little boring so I decided to spice things up a bit. Good? Yes? No? Maybe? haha review plz!**

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	4. Chapter 4

**Welcome back! Sorry i didn't update yesterday. I was hanging out with some friends. But it's up now! lol I hope you enjoy it!**

I woke up feeling damp with sweat and stiff all over. Then I felt feather-like touches on my face. They felt nice on my flustered, heated cheeks. It started in my hair too.

I felt the smile pulling on my mouth. I opened my eyes, wondering who was petting me. Most likely Luke. My mother wasn't into all of that.

But it wasn't Luke.

A pair of sparkling green eyes stared back at me. Blonde hair hung from her shoulders tickling my temples. And her ice-cold fingers were gently caressing my face.

The woman looked familiar. Where have I seen her before?

I tried to sit up but the girl pushed me back down.

"Just relax," she said.

That voice…

"You hit your head pretty hard. Just take it easy." She stepped away from my bed and went to the doorway. "Jocelyn, Luke, she's awake."

My mother ran in and suffocated me into her shoulder, mumbling about angels and prayers. "Clary, are you all right? You nearly gave me a heart attack."

I nodded tiredly and pushed myself up so I was leaning on the headboard. "Yeah, I'm okay. What happened?"

"You don't need to worry about that now," Luke said sitting down next to me. "We're just glad you're safe."

I looked at the blonde woman again and was baffled by the look in her eyes. It was like she was afraid, angry and hurt all at the same time.

Luke stood up slowly and walked over to the unknown woman. He held out his hand to her.

She looked down at it for the longest time before she hesitantly shook it.

"Thank you," he mumbled.

_Next time, you're vampire friend won't be around to protect you, Clarissa_, the voice said, making itself known once again.

And that's when I remembered. The waitress. She was a vampire? And she helped me? Why? She didn't seem to like me that much at the café.

The girl smiled at me. "Be careful out there, kid." And then she left.

I waited until I heard the front door shut. "Who was that?"

"An old friend," Jocelyn answered. "She…"

"She babysat you when you were a baby," Luke finished for her. "I wouldn't expect you to remember her."

He stood up, walked to the other side of the bed and helped Jocelyn up. "C'mon, let's go to bed. Get some rest, Clary."

I nodded and slid back into bed and buried my face into the pillow.

Luke flicked the lights off and shut the door lightly. I waited until I heard them walk into their own room and shut the door before I got out of bed, switching the lights back on.

As I turned, there was a pang in my right side that made me wince. I walked in front of the mirror and lifted up my shirt.

I was expecting to see some gross-looking bruise but what I found puzzled me. It made me question how hard I hit my head.

There was a big red splotch covering my whole abdomen. But what didn't make sense was the black mark that was smack dab in the middle. It reminded me of one of the characters in the Chinese alphabet.

I squeezed my eyes shut and tried my best to clear my head. Counting back from ten, I opened my eyes again, but the mark was still there.

I pulled my shirt back down and told myself I was imagining things. I needed to get some rest.

Quietly, I went into the kitchen, got an icepack and placed it gently on my side.

As I slid back into bed, I noticed a bottle sitting on my dresser. It was prescription bottle.

Agitated, I picked it up and read it.

Sleeping pills. Didn't I tell the woman I didn't have trouble sleeping?

I set them back down and closed my eyes. But when I did, I saw those eyes again. And his scale-covered skin, rotted teeth, claws and tail. I could almost feel the pain as I remembered what he did to me.

I snapped my eyes back open and decided I wouldn't be going back to sleep. So, I picked up my sketchbook and did what I always did. I drew the ugly bastards who starred in my nightmares until I couldn't remember anymore.

I drew for what felt like a couple hours. But then the sun began to rise.

Looking at the clock, I noticed it was after five in the morning.

Rolling my eyes, I kept drawing, ripping the pages out every time one was finished.

Piles of papers were littered at the bottom of the bed. The horrible images were gone. But my hand kept gliding across the page uncontrollably.

When I had finished, I had no idea what I'd drawn.

It was a boy, eyes bright and sparkling despite the dull color of 2HB pencil, hair screaming _sex_ and a jaw that was absolutely perfect. He was intriguing, but it was like he sat at the border-line between vindictive and altruistic.

I folded the picture into fourths and placed it in the back of my book. Then I took the others, carrying my melted icepack with me and burned them in the fireplace.

At seven in the morning, I managed to fall asleep.

When I woke up, it was almost four in the afternoon.

Groaning, I sat up effortlessly which surprised me. I was expecting something a lot worse. Like bone cracking or maybe muscle tears, I don't know.

I stretched my arms above my head. I shouldn't have been able to do that either.

Finally, I stood up and faced the mirror. I could still feel a slight tingling feeling in my face where that _thing_ had scratched me. But there wasn't so much as a mark there.

I rubbed the spot on my head that was bleeding like crazy. Nothing. A little tender but other than that, zilch.

Hesitantly, my fingers played with the hem of my shirt before pulling it up.

The mark that I saw last night was gone. No bruise, redness or pain.

This was impossible. With all the pain that I felt, I had to have broken at _least_ one rib.

I pulled it down and went out into the living room where Luke was watching a game.

"Hey, you're up," he said as I walked in.

Ignoring his statement, I sat next to him and shut the TV off. "I need to ask you something."

Noting my seriousness, he shifted in his seat so he was facing me. "What's up?"

"I need to know what happened last night."

Luke sighed. "I know your memory's a little foggy but what happened was horrible. And you'd make it a whole lot easier on yourself if you just left it like that."

"Luke, I need to know!" I said. "Everything that…_guy_," I struggled getting that word out, "did to me should have sent me to the hospital. But I feel fine."

"You were lucky."

"I found a mark on my skin last night. What was that?"

Luke stared at me like I was crazy. "You hit your head real hard, Clary."

I sighed. "Fine, don't tell me." I got up and went back into my room.

I grabbed my bag and shoved the box that held the completely unusable pen, mace and a mail opener. Who knows, maybe it'd make for a good weapon.

Then I grabbed my bike and rolled it out.

"Clary, what stupid thing are you about to do?" Luke said, quickly blocking my path.

I looked up at him, not about to back down. "I'm about to get some information."

"And how do you figure you'll do that?" Luke asked, crossing his arms.

I shifted my weight onto one foot and placed my hands on my nonexistent hips. "That mystery woman who you and Mom refuse to tell me who she is; I'm gonna find her and ask her myself."

I moved to step around him but Luke mirrored my steps.

"Clary," he placed his hands on my tiny shoulders, "just stay here. You're making a big fuss over nothing."

"Over nothing?" I cried. "I was almost raped!"

"Okay, so it is something but trust me, it's better if you just let it go."

I took advantage of my shortness and ducked under Luke's arm and raced to the door and out to the street.

"She's not going to tell you anything," he called.

I whipped around. "So, there _is_ something you're not telling me!"

Luke's expression was priceless but I didn't have any time to dwell on it. I just hopped onto my bike and raced off.

In a few short minutes, I found myself standing in front of Simon's door ringing the doorbell like there was no tomorrow.

Simon opened the door with a headpiece that I expected was part of his Xbox Live thing and a smudge of chocolate on his face. "Clary, what the hell? I was playing Halo when all of a sudden I heard this non-stop ringing."

"Simon, I need your help with something."

Simon stood up straight and ripped the headpiece off. "What's wrong?"

"I want to go grab some information but I don't want to do it alone. All I'm asking is for you to come with me."

"Ok, just let me clean up a bit."

I nodded as I stepped inside and sat down on the couch. "And bring your pocketknife."

"My pocketknife?" Simon asked.

"You know, the one that you carried all day after seeing _The Thing_."

Simon rolled his eyes. "Clare, I know which one your talking about. I'm asking you why I have to bring it."

I glared at him. "Just bring it, Si."

He held up his hands in surrender and trotted up the steps.

I took the short amount of time to calm my nerves. And by the time Simon was back down the steps, I had gained enough courage that made me feel like the girl I was before everything went haywire.

"So, do you want to tell me what exactly you're investigating?" Simon asked as he got onto his bike.

"Not really," was my riposte.

"All right. You're the boss."

When we got to the café, we locked our bikes around a nearby street light.

"What now?" Simon asked.

I didn't answer because I didn't know. I just motioned for him to follow me and walked inside the café.

It wasn't as crowded as it was the previous night and the majority of the small group were actual humans. So I felt a little better.

I looked around for the tall blonde and found her standing in front of the table in the back corner.

"Wait for me here," I said to Simon.

Simon nodded but he wasn't paying close attention. His eyes were glued to some girl sitting in a booth by herself.

Rolling my eyes, I decided not to tell him about the slob of drool that was building up at his mouth and walked over to the vampire.

The closer I got, I realized the group of men she was serving looked just like her. Smooth pale skin, eyes shining like ember and I swear I could feel the temperature dropping every step I took.

The woman seeming to know I was coming, turned around and glared at me.

Usually, I could downplay a glare easily since I got them from people a lot but seeing one coming from a vampire was totally different. Something about the way her eyes gleamed made me freeze. And with her lips parted like so, I could see the points of her fangs which did nothing to ease my nerves.

She grabbed my arm and dragged me to the back door and outside.

There were a group of people, mostly people anyway, smoking cigars, sniffing heroin, you know the norm in New York.

She pulled me past them as well and put herself in front of me as if trying to block their view of me.

"What in the hell do you think you're doing?" she yelled. "I thought I made it clear that this is _not_ a safe place for you!"

Don't think about the glare, I told myself. What would you say to any other person?

"Who do you think you are, my mother?" I snapped. "I can take care of myself." I tried to seem tough but it was hard. In the night, her eyes shimmered a greenish gold like a cat's. It's a little freaky.

The woman crossed her arms and smirked amusedly. "Really? Because I'm not so sure you can? How much do you remember last night?"

I did my best to not let my bravado falter. "I remember enough."

"Obviously not. You would've been killed if it weren't for me. You don't even know half of what's out there."

I was silent. I couldn't fight her.

The woman sighed and looked at me the way she did when I had woken up in my room. "Look, I'm sorry. But I'm just trying to help you. These people are different. They don't hesitate when they see an innocent little girl on the streets."

"What are you talking about?" I asked. "Why are these people so different? Why am I in danger? You know what, scratch that, who are-"

She held up her hand, ordering me to stop. "One question at a time, kid."

"Who are you?" I asked impatiently.

"My name's Camille."

"Why did my parents tell me that you babysat me when I was little?"

"Because I did."

My eyes ran over her body from head to toe. "You look like you're twenty. So, what? You babysat me when you were five? I don't think so."

Camille laughed. "Flattery will get you nowhere, honey."

"I'm serious!"

"As am I," she replied.

"So, how old are you then?"

"Every woman knows not to give her real age."

"Camille!"

"What?" she asked. "I'm educating you. You really think that when some hot dude comes up and asks you out on a date, you'll tell him you're forty-five?"

I rolled my eyes and ignored her comment. "Are you a vampire?"

"Shhh! You don't shout shit like that!" She looked over her shoulder as if afraid someone had heard. But if anyone did, they were too high to give a crap.

"Are you?"

"Yes."

Yes was the answer I was hoping for. I knew it ever since the voice told me. I should've felt triumphant that I wasn't crazy after all. But I felt the opposite. I felt terrified. What else was out there? Were they waiting for me to cross their path on the way to Simon's or coming home from school?

"Clary?" Camille waved her hand in front of my face. "Yoo-hoo. You still in there?"

I swallowed the lump in my throat. "Do you know what attacked me last night?"

"No."

"You're lying."

"Am I?"

"Yes."

Camille went silent.

"Camille?"

Still no answer.

"I need to know," I begged. "_Please_."

"I can't tell you."

"Then who can?"

"Go home, Clary. And take your boyfriend with you. That girl he's hitting on isn't human."

My eyes went wide. "What?"

"Relax, I know her. She won't hurt him but she's definitely not the one he should be hanging with."

I ran back inside, trying not to make eye contact with the creatures and grabbed Simon's collar.

I looked at the girl he was talking to, expecting to see some sort of creepy body part that was invisible to Simon but found nothing. The girl actually looked really nice.

Her eyes were a warm brown which matched her curly hair. She was wearing a band T-shirt. And not just any band T-shirt. She was wearing my favorite band. Nickelback.

I smiled at her. "I'm sorry about any dumb thing this guy's said," I said as I pulled Simon out of the booth, "but we have to get home."

"Ok," she said. "See you around, Simon. It was nice meeting you."

Simon grinned foolishly. "Y-you too, Maia."

By the time we got back on our bikes, Simon finally wiped the drool off of his mouth.

"Did you get what you need?" Simon asked.

"No," I said, "did you?"

Simon glared at me, then asked, "You wanna ask me? Maybe I can help."

I shook my head. "I don't want to get you involved."

"What does that mean?"

"Can we just go back to your place?" I said trying to get out of the spotlight. "I really don't want to go back home."

"Sure. But only on one condition."

I lifted a brow.

"You play Halo with me."

I laughed. "You and your videogames."

"Deal?"

"Deal."

**I hoped you guys liked it! I tried to throw some humor in there but I'm not that funny so forgive me if the jokes were kind of corny. And since I won't be updating Wednesday, I wanted to wish you a happy Hanukkah (for anyone who celebrates it, of course)! See ya this Christmas Eve! If anyone wants to follow me Judailuvr911 on Twitter for some excerpts of the next chapter you can!**

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	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys! Sorry the chapter's up so late :( i really wasn't expecting it to take so long lol But Merry Christmas Eve!...it might be Christmas Day now...ugh i feel so bad!**

**Anyways! Because it's the holiday, I've decided to give you guys a gift. Instead of uploading one chapter this week, I've decided to upload two! EEP one today and one tomorrow! Unless it's after midnight...if it is than i guess it's two in one day but whatever! It's the same thing! lol Enjoy!**

"So, our band's playing at the Pandemonium Club tomorrow."

"Pandemonium?" I asked.

"Yeah. Don't tell me you're afraid to go there now." Simon put down his controller and faced me.

I could only think of Camille and what she said to me. She told me it wasn't safe for me there. But I went to Pandemonium all the time. Sure, there's your fair share of freaks and junkies but you see them everywhere. And as for those creatures, they wouldn't dare attack me with so many witnesses around.

"Well, kinda," I lied. "I mean, something's always happening there."

"True, but it's not like you'll be by yourself. I'll be there, Eric, John, Drake and the owner always takes good care of us."

I sighed. "Yeah, but what if that's not enough."

"C'mon, Clare. I need you there." He switched to a patronizing voice when he said, "I promise, I won't let any of the bad guys get you."

I laughed and punched his shoulder. "You are such an ass."

"Is that a yes?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Sweet."

When my phone started singing Paramore's Monster, I couldn't help but roll my eyes. I didn't need to look at it to know who it was.

It was Luke before so I knew this time it was Jocelyn. And I didn't want to talk to either of them.

"Would you just answer the phone all ready?"

"No," I snapped. "I won't. I don't want to speak to them."

"What'd your mom do this time?" Simon laughed.

"It's not just Mom this time, it's Luke too." I said grumpily.

"Luke? I thought you liked him."

"I do, but that doesn't mean I can't be mad at him."

"What happened?"

I shrugged. "It's complicated."

"C'mon, you can tell me."

I thought carefully about my words. "I think they're hiding things from me."

"Like what?"

I scoffed. "I don't know! It's just weird. The waitress that we saw today, she used to 'baby-sit' me when I was kid. But they refused to tell me her name. And then-" I stopped myself before I said something about Camille's immortality or something like that.

Simon stared at me as if I were from another planet. "That's it?"

Oh, there were tons more but that was all I told him. So I only shrugged.

"You're getting paranoid. Just relax. What's gotten into you lately? How many episodes of _NCIS_ have you watched?"

Deciding to end the conversation there, I played flabbergasted and let myself fall back on his bed. "Can we watch TV?"

"Ok, but no more crime shows. We're watching _Howl's Moving Castle_."

Rolling my eyes, I lay my head on his shoulder and watched the movie with him.

"All right everyone. We've got some special guests tonight. Please welcome, Purgatory of the Equinox!"

I slapped my head with the palm of my head. "Really, Simon," I said to myself. "What kind of name is that?"

Simon and his friends clumsily walked on the stage and tried to ignore the silent audience.

Eric stood in front of the microphone and tried to tell a few bad jokes while they got everything hooked up.

Eric cleared his throat and I braced myself for another bad joke. "So, what did the bartender say to the horse?"

I could hear the crickets chirping.

"Why the long face?" He laughed nervously it was obvious that the audience was not amused. "Wow. Tough crowd."

I hid my face in my hands and tried my best to suppress my laughs

"Anyway!" When I heard Simon's voice, I looked up. "It's time for some music. This one's for you, Clare-Bear. The Song's called _Vixen Hair._"

I twisted a lock of hair between my two fingers and held it up to my face. Was this considered vixen hair? It was a little frizzy but _I_ wouldn't call it vixen hair.

I'll just go on and say it. The band was bad. They basically had no musical talent what-so-ever. But I stayed because Simon was my friend and I owed him that much.

Standing up from my booth, I walked over to the bar.

"May I have a coke, please?"

The bartender turned around and glared a glare that reminded me of Camille. Same sparkling eyes, pale skin, he was one of the vampires from the café. "I don't serve your kind."

I crossed my arms. "_My_ kind? You mean humans? You do realize there's hundreds of us in this club, right?"

The man chuckled and mumbled something that sounded like _maldito_. I could see his fangs growing longer and longer until they were puncturing his lip. "You poor, poor deprived child."

I was at loss for words. What was that supposed to mean? Maybe Camille was right. I shouldn't have come.

"Ah, c'mon, Raphael," said one of the other guys who I suspected was a vampire as well. "Look how cute she is," he rested his arms on the table, "with that long beautiful strawberry-blonde hair. You don't see too many of those nowadays."

"It's definitely natural," Raphael said. "I can't smell any dye on her.

I took a step back but ran into someone.

The third man placed his hands on me and made me shiver. He was so cold, despite the hot muggy air inside the building. "Hey, Sugar. Where are you headed to?"

I slipped out of his grip and headed back to my booth.

"Hey."

I turned around to see the one named Raphael.

He placed a can of coke on the counter. "I'll give it to you for free if you suck my cock."

I slammed a five dollar bill on the table and grabbed my coke. "Eat shit."

The group of vampires laughed as I walked back to my booth and cracked open my coke.

I kept sipping on it while keeping my eye on the boys. And after a few songs, Simon and the guys decided to take a small break and then sat in the booth with me.

"Hey, Clary!" Eric said as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders. "How's it going?"

I smiled. "Great, you?"

"I'm good, I'm good. How's our sound?"

I took another sip of my coke. "It's good," I lied. "Real good. I can hear all of the hard work you guys put into it."

"So, I saw you had a little spat with the bartender," Simon said, cocking his head toward them. "You all right?"

I played it off as nothing. "Yeah, it was nothing. Just a couple of guys hitting on the girl with the vixen hair."

The guys laughed.

"What was up with that anyway?" I asked. "I don't have vixen hair!

"It was only a joke."

We sat and talked for about fifteen minutes and then the boys went back onto the stage.

"Ok, so we're gonna pick up from where we left off a couple minutes ago. This next one's called _My Little Chocolate Bar_."

I shook my head. I wasn't even going to try to decipher this one.

Hesitantly, I looked back over to the vampires and saw they had found another victim to torture. And when I saw who exactly that victim was, I knew I had to help him.

The boy that I saw in the Community Center waiting for his therapy session. I knew it was him. I couldn't forget that beautiful blond hair.

What was his name again? Jack? James? Jason?

It didn't matter.

I stood up from my booth and ran over to him.

I grabbed the boy's arm and glared at the group of vamps. "Leave him alone."

"Oh, look who's back!" Raphael said. "It's little Miss Feisty!"

The boy looked like he was frozen in shock. I pulled him away from them and sat him down in my booth.

"Hey, are you ok?"

The boy swallowed and tried to speak but his throat was parched.

I slid the can of soda to him.

He took it and guzzled it greedily.

"Thanks," he said as he gave it back to me.

I drank the last little bit of it.

"So, what happened back there?" I asked.

The boy shook his head. "You wouldn't believe me."

I crossed my arms. "Did you ever find a new therapist?"

His head snapped up. "How'd you-wait…are you that girl that stopped me from going in with that…"

"Creature?" I offered.

He nodded.

I smiled. "Yeah, that was me."

He heaved a sigh. "Oh, thank God! So, I'm not insane, right? You see them too?"

I nodded. "Either that or we're both insane."

The boy laughed. "Thanks for saving me. Both times."

I shrugged. "No big deal. But I've got to say, saving lives is hard work. I at least deserve a name."

"Jace." He held out his hand for me to shake. "And you are?"

I took his hand. "Clary. It's nice to finally meet you, Jace."

"You too, Clary." He looked back over at the group of vampires.

"Don't worry about them," I said. "They wouldn't do anything in front of all these people. They just like taunting us."

Jace nodded. "I know that. I wouldn't have come if I was worried about them. It's just I've never noticed them before. I always thought they were like us. But tonight I got a good look at them."

"They're not all bad," I mumbled thinking of Camille.

"What?"

"Nothing."

Jace cleared his throat and looked back at the boys. "Do you know what they are?"

I nodded. "They're vampires."

"Be serious."

"I am. They're vampires. I know there's more out there I just don't know what they're called."

Jace sighed.

"What?"

He laughed. "I just can't believe it."

"Believe what?"

"That I'm not alone."

I smiled. "Do you have a phone?"

"Yeah, why?"

"We should have each other's numbers. Just in case something weird happens, we have backup."

Jace placed his phone in front of me and held his hand out for mine.

We exchanged numbers.

"I feel better all ready," I said as I took my phone back.

"Same here."

Jace and I sat there, trying to block out the horrible noise in the background until finally, Eric announced that they were finished.

Everyone clapped at that. The only response from the audience the entire four hours they've been here.

"Well, I've got to go," I said as I gathered my stuff together. "Unfortunately, they're my ride home."

Jace laughed. "Interesting group of friends."

I nodded in agreement. "Yeah. It's never boring, I'll give you that."

"All right. Well, thanks again, Clary."

I nodded. "No problem. Just be careful, ok?"

"I will."

I stood up and followed the boys to Eric's van.

"I see you're making new friends," Eric joked. "Did you get the digits."

I rolled my eyes, even though I did in fact get "his digits." "Sheesh, guys, leave me alone."

"So are you spending the night again or are you going home?" Simon asked.

I sighed. "I wish I could but I think it'd be smart to go back home."

"Ok. I'll miss you tonight."

I laughed. "I'll miss you too, Si."

**So? What'd you think? Good? Bad Cheesey? Leave me some reviews! They make me happy! Excerpts are being posted on twitter if you want to follow Judailuvr911 :)**

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	6. Chapter 6

**Merry Christmas! I hope everyone enjoyed it! LOL I sure did! Sorry, this was updated late :( I swear i didn't mean to, i guess i got all caught up in the holiday XD Well, here's chapter 6!**

I thanked Eric for the ride and reluctantly stepped out of the van.

Slowly walking to my apartment, I fiddled with my keys acting as if I couldn't find the right key. But I was staring right at it.

The last few steps brought me to the door faster than I thought. I wanted to back up and redo it but I turned the key and stepped inside the apartment.

I was expecting to see Jocelyn and Luke sitting on the couch waiting for me like normal strict parents. Instead, I found Jocelyn washing dishes and Luke sat on the couch with a girl about my age.

When the door closed, they all looked at me.

"Is your temper tantrum over?" Mom asked me.

I clenched my teeth and balled my hands into fists to keep from flipping her the bird.

"And in case it wasn't clear, you're grounded," she added.

The girl stood up. "I think I should go."

Luke nodded. "Yeah, that'd be best. I'll stop by tomorrow and we can talk, all right?"

The girl nodded and headed to the door.

"Hey," she said to me. "You're that girl that was with Simon."

I blinked. "Yeah. Maia, right?"

She nodded. "I guess I'll see you around."

I nodded and opened the door for her.

"_That girl he's hitting on isn't human,"_ Camille's voice echoed inside my head.

I looked back at Luke and I couldn't help but feel hurt. Luke never lied to me. He told me everything. But now I wasn't sure what to believe.

Why was he talking to _them?_ Did Mom know? What aren't they telling me?

"I assume you were at Simon's," Luke said.

With one final glare, I stormed into my room and slammed the door so hard, I had to jump in front of the mirror to keep from falling over.

Plopping down into my bed, I went to sleep, not bothering to take my clothes off.

I woke up to someone pounding on my door.

"C'mon, Clary," I heard my mom say through the door, "you have to go to therapy."

I stayed silent acting like I was asleep.

The door opened and Jocelyn stood in front of the bed. "I know you're awake."

I uselessly tried to snore.

"Get up before I start to get angry."

"No," I mumbled.

"_Get up_, Clarissa."

"No," I said firmer.

She sighed. "By the Angel, Clary, don't make this hard. Please, just get up."

"No!"

I heard Luke walk in.

I peeped through one eye and saw Jocelyn wasn't in the room anymore. Luke was staring at me with a little smile.

"If you think you're getting me out of bed, you're wrong."

"Is that so?"

"Yep."

Luke walked to the other side of the bed slowly as if he were taunting me.

I fought the urge to open my eyes.

I felt the blanket I was lying on lift up. Luke tugged on it hard, bringing me and the blanket to the floor with a loud _thump_.

I looked at him shocked. "_Ouch_."

"Rise and shine." Luke walked out of the room, closing the door lightly.

I picked up one of my shoes and threw it at the door. "Screw the both of you!"

"Excuse me?"

I locked the door so my mother couldn't barge in.

I picked out a purple tank top and a pair of shorts to wear and carried them with me into the bathroom.

After showering and brushing my hair into a ponytail, I met my mother in the car.

I turned my iPod on and pretended she wasn't there. I did pretty well. Until she passed the Community Center.

"You passed it," I muttered.

"I know."

Finally turning my head from the window, I looked at her. "Where are you taking me?"

"A new therapist that Camille recommended."

"Camille? Why?" I was still mad but more confused. Mad, because she told Camille I was seeing a therapist. Confused, because Camille knew I didn't need a therapist. I mean, her just telling me she's a vampire proves it! So, why was she recommending a therapist for me.

"Be quiet, Clary."

I rolled my eyes, a new wave of anger coming over me.

We pulled up in front of a house that looked like a mansion they show on MTV's _Cribs_.

"Let's go."

I got out of the car and walked onto the porch as Jocelyn rang the bell.

When the door, opened, I saw a man who was about three times my size. His hair was spiked and I think I saw glitter in it too. He wore a tight black shirt and lime green skinny jeans.

"Good afternoon! How have you been Jocelyn?" the man greeted with a big smile.

Jocelyn smiled. "I've seen better days."

The man pouted. "Aw, well why don't you come in for a beverage? I've invented a new alcoholic drink. I call it the OIC."

"What does OIC stand for?" she asked.

"Orgasm in a cup."

"Magnus!" Jocelyn put her hand on my shoulder, "Watch your language, my daughter's only seventeen."

I twisted my shoulders so she would stop touching me.

Jocelyn glared at me. "Excuse her. She's in one of her teenage moods."

"Ah," Magnus said as he nodded. "Well, kids will be kids."

"I'm gonna get going. Be polite to Dr. Bane, Clary," Jocelyn said to me. "Act like you belong to someone."

Finally she got back in the car and left.

"You coming in?" Magnus asked.

I stepped inside and looked around. The foyer had a huge chandelier hanging in front of the door. There was gold carpet, gold lights, gold walls, gold everywhere. I had to take a few long looks and Dr. Bane to make sure he wasn't really King Midas.

"So, what do you want to do?"

I gave him a weird look. "What do you mean? You're a therapist aren't you?"

"More or less."

I gasped. "Oh my God. My mom left me here with a crack head, didn't she?"

Magnus laughed. "No, of course not! Here, I have an idea. Why don't we just sit and talk, try to get to know each other."

He waited for me to respond but I was too busy trying to understand what role he was playing. Some therapists played really nice to get information and others just asked a bunch of questions. But what the hell was this guy doing?

"I'll take that as a yes, right this way!"

I followed him into the next room and sat down on the couch while he sat on the couch across from me.

"Make yourself comfortable," he said as he put his feet up on the coffee table. Were those heels.

I kicked off my shoes and lay back on the couch.

I waited for him to talk but he never said anything.

"Aren't you supposed to ask me questions?" I asked.

Dr. Bane shrugged. "Why don't you start?"

I thought for a second. "Dr. Bane-"

"Please, call me Magnus."

"Magnus," I said trying it out, "do you know a Camille?"

"Lady Belcourt? Of course."

"_Lady_," I repeated.

"A name we called her when we were younger."

"My parents told me that she recommended you for me."

Magnus nodded. "Yes, she came by and told me about you. It seems she cares about you a lot."

"She came by here?"

"Yes, two nights ago."

"Wednesday? That's when I talked to her."

"That surprises you?" he asked.

"I don't know. What did she say?"

Magnus tugged on a piece of spiked hair. "She told me that you visited her at work. She doesn't like you to be there alone because it's dangerous. I agree with her."

"But I wasn't alone. I brought a friend."

He chuckled. "Yes, she told me about him as well. Said he was so into that girl, he wouldn't have noticed anything happen to you."

I crossed my arms. "She's not my mother."

Magnus smiled. "Do you have an apple peel or a pea pod? Or what ever those doohickeys are called."

I stifled a laugh. "You mean an iPod?"

"Yeah, those."

I laughed lightly. "Yeah."

Magnus pointed to an iPod doc he had sitting on the windowsill. "Plug it in. But don't play anything bad."

Shaking my head, I hooked it up and started playing Nickelback.

Magnus turned around in his seat. "Didn't I say nothing bad?"

Rolling my eyes I switched over to Daughtry.

"No."

Jesus. What did this guy want. I picked Lynyrd Skynyrd next.

"Better but still no."

I sighed. "Why don't you come over here yourself and pick something."

Magnus did exactly that. I was expecting him to take the thing out and give it back to me since I didn't have anything in his taste. But I was surprised by the song he chose.

Adam Lambert's Whattaya Want…?

"Really?" I asked.

"Hell yeah!" When he started singing along, I couldn't help but crack up in hysterics.

"Ok, I have to ask you a serious question."

"Shoot."

"Did you really not know what an iPod was called? You're like, twenty right?"

Magnus chuckled. "Just trying to get you to smile. Looks like I succeeded."

"Congratulations."

Magnus took the remote and hit pause. "You hungry?"

"I could eat."

"Good, because I'm starving."

I followed him into the kitchen where he made me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and sliced up an apple.

For himself…I didn't want to know. It was brown and it reeked. That's all I could observe.

"Is it good?" Magnus asked.

I nodded. "It's fine."

"Can I ask you a serious question?"

I paused. "Let me hear the question first."

"Do you know what attacked you Tuesday night?"

"'What'? Don't you mean 'Who'?" I asked.

Magnus shrugged. "You tell me."

I had to take a minute to think. "Is this a trick question?"

He shook his head.

"No."

"No, what?"

"No, you can't ask me a serious question." I took another bite of my sandwich.

There was a moment of awkward silence before Magnus said, "Let's watch a movie."

He stood up and didn't wait for me to say anything. I was forced to follow him.

"You're the weirdest therapist ever," I said.

"Thank you, I'm flattered."

Magnus showed me the collection of DVD's he had. I reached for one that liked but he slapped my hand.

"I pick the first one."

I lifted a brow. "The _first_ one? How many do you plan on watching?"

"A lot."

"Well, you should know that I'm grounded."

Magnus laughed. "What your parents don't know won't hurt them."

I sat down on the couch. "What are we watching?"

"_Constantine_. Have you seen it?"

I shook my head. "What's it about?"

"You'll see."

So basically it was about a dude who could communicate with half-angels and half-demons. He tries to kill himself and to keep from going to Hell he starts serving God but can't buy his way out.

It was an interesting plot. But I couldn't enjoy the movie that much because I spent most of the time trying to calm myself down and say it was only a movie.

Magnus held a smirk throughout the whole thing which made me want to punch the shit out of him.

When the movie ended, my blood had run cold, my hands were shaking and I couldn't speak.

"What movie should we watch next?" Magnus asked enthusiastically.

I could only stare at him.

"Aw, are you scared now?"

I said nothing.

Magnus laughed and pulled me to my feet. "C'mon, pick a happy movie to watch."

I picked _I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry_ because I needed a comic relief.

After a half hour, I regained the ability to laugh. Magnus didn't seem to enjoy it that much because it was offensive.

"If you think it's so offensive then why do you have it on DVD?" I asked.

"Because I find one of the actors attractive."

I laughed. "Really? Which one?"

"I'm not telling you."

"Fun-sucker."

When that one ended, Magnus took the disk out and put it back in its case. "See, my next movie was gonna be Silence of the Lambs but since you get scared, so easily, I'll pick another one."

"What's with you and horror flicks?" I asked.

"What's with _you_ and comedy movies?"

I flipped him the bird.

"Have you ever seen _Monty Python and the Search for the Holy Grail?_"

"Who hasn't?"

Magnus grinned and put it in.

Just as the movie started, a Norwegian forest cat jumped into my lap.

"Aw, is he yours?" I asked as I petted him.

Magnus nodded. "Yes, he belongs to me. Isn't he just adorable?"

"He is. What's his name."

"Chairman Meow."

"Seriously?"

"What?"

"It's official. You're the weirdest person I've ever met."

After the third movie, Magnus ordered a small pizza for me and cooked some more weird shit for him.

Then I showed him how to use On Demand and we watched _Ghost_ with Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore.

Finally, at eight, Magnus said he was tired of watching movies.

"What do you want to do then?" I asked.

He shrugged.

We just sat there for a couple of minutes watching Chairman Meow lick his himself.

When the doorbell rang, the both of us jumped up and ran to the door.

Camille was there.

"Hey, Camille," Magnus greeted. "Come on in."

The vampire entered the mansion and looked at me. "You're still here?"

I nodded.

"What have you two been doing all this time?" she asked.

"Watching movies."

She glared at Magnus. Thank God it wasn't me this time.

"I showed her _Constantine_." Magnus winked which confused me.

Camille shook her head. "I said _help_ her, not scare her to death."

"Uh, yeah," I said jumping into the conversation, "why did you recommend him to my parents?"

"I'm only trying to help you, Clary."

"Then why do you have me seeing a therapist! I'm not crazy!" I looked over at Magnus. "No offense."

"None taken."

Camille sighed. "I never said you were. C'mon, I'm gonna take you home. You're mom's probably worried sick."

I rolled my eyes and went back into the living room to grab my shoes and phone.

I had eleven missed calls and three text messages all from Jocelyn.

I didn't bother replying to any of them and left with Camille.

"Bye, Clary!" Magnus called from the door. "I'll see you next week."

I waved. "Ok, can't wait."

Camille was still muttering things under her breath about Magnus. She put her hair up into a messy bun and got onto her…motorcycle?

"You ride a motorcycle?" I asked.

Camille smirked. "This isn't just any motorcycle. Get on and I'll show you."

I sat down on the back and clutched her hard. Good thing she's a vampire or she would've choked.

Camille revved the engine and I screamed when the bike began to lift in the air.

"It flies?"

She laughed. "This'll be the best ride of your life, trust me."

It should've taken at least an hour to get back home. But with Camille's bike, we made it in under twenty minutes.

When she landed the bike, I asked, "Will you come in with me?"

"Why?" she asked.

"My mom's gonna be pissed. She won't believe me if I said I was watching movies with Magnus."

"No, she won't. Your mom knows Magnus."

"I highly doubt that."

With a sigh, Camille stopped the engine and propped the bike on the kickstand. "You're such a baby."

I bit back a sarcastic remark. I'm not so sure ticking off a vampire is the best idea.

When I unlocked the door, I made Camille go ahead of me.

Luke was watching another game and Jocelyn was sitting next to him with a bowl of popcorn.

"See?" Camille said with a smug grin.

"You could've called," Jocelyn said.

"Can I go now?" Camille asked me.

I nodded. "Thanks for the ride."

"No problem." She headed for the door but I caught her arm.

"Can we talk sometime? I have some questions I wanna ask you," I said.

"No," Jocelyn answered for her. "You're grounded. You're not allowed to leave this house except for therapy."

I sent a glare at her but she ignored it.

I looked back at Camille and she nodded discretely. In less than a second, she had written a small message onto a piece of paper and placed it in my hand.

I shoved it in my pocket and carried it to my room.

_Tomorrow night when the sun sets, I'll come by and I'll take you to my place and you can ask me whatever you want. I'll try to answer them as best as I can. But don't get mad if I can't give you an answer. Patience is a virtue._

See, this is what I was talking about. What the hell does that mean? It's like everyone is speaking in riddles.

Shrugging it off, I turned my TV on but kept it on mute with subtitles. Hell with it. I'm grounded when I say I'm grounded.

**Again, I'd like to wish everyone a very merry Christmas! I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! Excerpts will be posted on twitter if anyone's interested :) and if you haven't followed yet and are too lazy to go back to the previous chapter, here's my twitter name again (and yes, i may be advertising my twitter name XP) Judailuvr911! Not that hard to remember right? lol**

**My best gifts I got were a Taylor Swift shirt, TSwift's perfume "Wonderstruck" and season four of True Blood!**

**What did you get? Reveiw!**

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	7. Chapter 7

**Happy New Years Eve everybody! Anybody excited? Yes? No? lol well i'm thinking about uploading two chapters again! One today and one tomorrow :) Enjoy!**

_The beat of the drums and the strumming of the guitar kept me occupied as I walked down the street._

_After a long while, I became aware of the silence._

_Cars had stopped driving by, the crickets no longer chirped and despite how dark it was, none of the street lights were on._

_I switched my iPod off, wanting all five senses alert. Well, technically I guess it would be six senses but that doesn't matter. Something was off. I knew it was._

_Slowly turning around, I began to backtrack._

"_Clary!"_

_I stopped short. Was that my name being called? Who was that?_

"_Clary!"_

_Jace. I followed his voice, running as fast I could. I trippoed and stumbled over things I couldn't see in the dark but I didn't stop._

_I turned the corner and stopped when I found him._

_His white shirt was covered in blood, some dripping from his mouth. He fell to his knees and I ran to his side._

"_Jace!" I cradled his head in my lap and pushed the pieces of blond hair out of his eyes. "Oh, Jace, what happened to you?"_

"_Clary…" he whispered._

"_Don't worry, Jace. You're gonna be ok. I'm calling the police." I could barely pull out my cell phone with my shaking hands but Jace pushed it out of my grip._

"_No," he said. "Clary, you have to go."_

"_What? No, I'm not leaving you here! Have you lost your mind?"_

"_It's a trap!"_

_As he said it, something had pushed me over so I was lying on my back._

_The thing that attacked me Wednesday night stood in front of me._

_I tried to crawl away, but it pinned its grimy knees on me so I couldn't move._

"_What did you do to him?" I screamed. "I'll kill you if he dies!"_

"_Clary, don't!" I heard Jace say._

_The thing cut me with his razor sharp tail._

_I tried to get back up even though I knew it was useless to fight. But the thing held me down and whispered something in my ear._

"_Watch."_

_He turned my head and I saw the boy from my dream. The boy who I couldn't seem to stop sketching._

_His black hair looked to be about Jace's length, his eyes-the small glimpses I got to see anyway-were a cold blue. He sat on the floor with a mirror standing behind him, which didn't reflect him at all. I saw a beautiful place in it. It had healthy green grass, bright blue sky and had perfect houses in the background._

_A sword lay beside him, with a blood staining only the tip. And in his hands, he held a cup. Blood was inside of it. I was assuming that was Jace's blood. _

_I looked back at Jace in the corner of my eye. He wasn't moving. I couldn't tell if he was still breathing or not._

"_Jace! Jace, can you hear me? Jace!"_

_The monster hit me in response. I had no choice but to watch the boy do whatever the hell he was doing._

_The boy's eyes rolled in the back of his head. His figure seemed to shimmer. I wasn't sure if I was hallucinating or not. _

"_Angel of Light," he murmured, "I command thee."_

.

I woke up with sweat dripping into my eyes, hair and clothes sticking to my skin and my heart pounding like crazy.

When my phone began to ring, I wanted to let it go to voicemail. But when I saw it was Jace, I answered, just wanting to hear his voice so I knew he was safe.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Clary. I just wanted to make sure you didn't give me a bogus number," he chuckled.

I smiled lightly. Jace was ok. It was just a dream. But the horrible things I saw were still fluttering in the back of my head.

"Are you there? Clary?"

I cleared my throat. "I'm here. Sorry."

"Why do you sound like you just ran a mile?"

I tried to play it off as nothing. "Just a bad dream."

"Must've been some dream. Are you ok?"

"I'll live."

Jace was quiet for a second. "Where are you? We should get together today. We should meet at the fountain by Deals."

I laughed lightly. "But don't you have plans?"

"No. Don't you want a distraction from that nightmare?"

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, all right. I'm bored anyway. Give me an hour and a half."

"Ok, see you then."

I hung up the phone and then jumped up surfing the pile of clothes in my dresser.

After wasting a good fifteen minutes, I was in the shower.

My hair was still damp and I had a toothbrush sticking out of my mouth when I realized how quiet the house was.

Sticking my head out the door, I looked around for Luke and Jocelyn. Both of them were gone. I'm pretty sure Jocelyn was at work. But when I'm grounded, she makes sure there's someone to watch me. But Luke wasn't here.

I smiled and decided not to question it. Luck was finally on my side. I wasn't going to jinx it.

I went into my room and moved my dresser in front of my door. Yeah, I know that's a little cheesy but that cheap-ass lock wouldn't do shit. It needed some backup.

When I was satisfied with my work, I made sure I brought the picture of the boy in my dreams. Maybe I could ask Jace some questions while I was out.

I shoved the picture into my bag and climbed out the window.

When I got to the fountain, Jace was all ready there waiting for me.

I sat down next to him. "Hey. Did I make you wait too long?"

Jace shrugged. "Not really. But for a minute I thought you stood me up."

I sighed. "So, I _did _take too long. I'm sorry."

Jace laughed. "It's ok. So, what've you been up to since the last time I saw you?"

"Just hangin'" I laughed, not really wanting to tell him I was grounded. "You?"

"Same as you. So, where should we go first?" he asked.

"Well, when you called you caught me off guard and I never got breakfast."

"Ok, so we'll have brunch. Pizza sound good?"

I nodded.

Jace and I shared the personal pizza he bought.

My phone started vibrating in my pocket. Pulling it out, I saw it was Simon. I let it go to voicemail.

"Who was that?" Jace asked.

"One of my friends."

"Was this the one who played at the Pandemonium Friday night?"

"Yeah, that's him. He was the guitarist."

"Oh, the dorky one!"

I had to cover my mouth with my hand to try to suppress my laughs. "Yes, the dorky one."

"Sorry, I guess that was a little mean."

"Just a tad."

_It's like your asking for trouble. Whattaya say we kill two birds with one stone?_

Jace and I looked at each other with matching expressions.

"You heard that too?" he asked quietly.

I nodded. Looking out the corner of my eye, I saw one of the women sitting in a booth by herself was staring at us with those pupil less eyes. She reminded me of one of those half-breeds they showed in the movie _Constantine._

As if reading each other's minds, we calmly stood up, threw out our trash and left the store.

"I've been seeing them a lot more than usual," I murmured.

"I have been too. It's really starting to freak me out."

I scoffed. "It's _starting?_ My whole life I thought I was gonna die."

"Let's sit down for a while."

We stopped at a nearby bench.

I took a deep breath. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

I pulled out the picture of the boy. "Do you know who this is?"

He took the picture in his hands. "He looks familiar. Why?"

"I've been dreaming about him."

Jace shrugged. "I don't know. I know I've seen him before but I just can't remember where."

"I'm starting to think that he has something to do with this."

"Are you sure? I mean, they could just be dreams."

I shook my head. "My dreams are never just dreams. They mean something." I swallowed as I thought about a dead Jace lying on ground.

"I've had few that are like that. But I never sat and tried to think about it."

I didn't say anything. Just thinking about the boy who sat in front of me with blood all over him made me nauseous.

"Do you always draw what you see in your dreams?" Jace asked.

"Yeah. It helps."

"The next time we see each other, you should bring your drawings over. Maybe we could make something out of them."

I blinked. "That's actually a really good idea."

Jace pulled out a piece of paper and wrote something down on it. "Here, it's my address."

I put it in my pocket. "Ok cool. Thanks."

Jace and I just walked around for a couple of hours joking around until we came across an abandoned building. Inside were a group of kids, some our age, and some maybe at the age of twenty. But what I didn't expect was to see Luke talking to all of them.

"What the hell is going on?" I whispered.

"You know them?"

I looked at Jace. He turned pure white. "What's the matter?"

"They're like those things we see."

"All of them?"

"Yeah!"

I looked back at the group of them. "Not Luke."

"So, you do know them?"

I shook my head. "Just the one in front. He's my step-dad."

Jace shook his head. "C'mon, let's get out of here."

As we were walking away, I knew Luke got a glimpse of me. I was screwed now. He knew we were spying on them.

When we made it back to the fountain, it was almost six. We sat down and discreetly splashed ourselves with the cold water.

We didn't say anything for a while. But when I opened my mouth to try to lighten up the mood, Luke walked out from behind a corner and stood in front of us.

Jace was stiff and tried to look tough. But I knew Luke wouldn't hurt him.

"Are you mad?" I asked.

Luke smirked. "No." He looked down at his watch. "But your mother should be home in about five minutes."

My eyes widened. Five minutes? I was never going to make it back to the house in five minutes! "Jace, I'm sorry, but I have to go. I'll see you later, ok?"

"Wait, Clary!"

I didn't turn around. I just kept sprinting.

By the time I got back to our apartment, I knew my five minutes were long gone. But luck was still on my side.

As I began to ascend the stairs of the fire escape, I saw Jocelyn walking into the building. Good, I had a few extra seconds.

I dived through the window in my room and moved the dresser just as I heard Jocelyn's keys jiggling in the doorknob.

Throwing the door open, I ran into the kitchen and turned the sink on as if I were doing the dishes the entire time.

Jocelyn walked in just as I had the sink on and gave me one long look.

It took everything I had in me not to pant or let my nostrils flare from lack of oxygen.

Finally, she dropped her keys into her bag, walked into her room and closed the door.

I opened my mouth and let myself pant to catch my breath.

When I heard the door open again, I caught myself and continued to wash the dishes.

"Where's Luke?" she demanded.

I shrugged. "Why don't you call and ask."

"Were you here alone this whole time?"

"No," I lied. "He left a couple minutes ago. He said it was an emergency. Why, don't you trust me?"

Jocelyn glared and went back into her room.

Now, my only problem was Luke. If he blew my cover, not only would I be upset that he was hanging out with half-breeds, I'd be extremely pissed. He's been acting like a total dick lately.

**I hope you guys liked it! And I'll update again next year!**

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	8. Chapter 8

**Happy New Year Everybody! How has 2012 treated you so far? For me it's been great! It's a bit disappointing since winter break is over and I have to go to school tomorrow but we had to go back sometime right?**

**Before I start the chapter, I have to let you know that there will be some references from the Infernal Devices. If you haven't read it, don't stress. They're just some details that I thought would spice up the story. You won't need to have read it to understand the whole plot.**

The creaks on the floor sent me into that in-between place, where you're still partly asleep but close to being fully awaken.

Although I was tired and desperately sought sleep, I made sure my ears were listening.

The footsteps halted and I thought that I could finally relax and go back to sleep. But then I heard my door open.

I managed to open my right eye a little. I waited for the blurs to clear before I began focusing on what I was looking at.

Luke stood in my doorway staring at me as if he could see that I was awake. But in the darkness I knew it was impossible.

I thought maybe he had come in to check on me. Luke used to do that when he knew I had a rough day. And for a second, I thought I saw the old Luke. The Luke that I could trust. The Luke I wanted to believe was still here.

He walked in, shutting the door half way and carefully felt his way around. He picked up my bag which confused me. I fought the urge to sit up and demand to know what he was doing.

Luke grabbed something from it and came and sat on my bed.

I thought about letting him know I was awake. But I decided against it.

He pulled my long tangled hair to once side, so the nape of my neck was clear. He brought the object he was holding up to the spot.

I tensed. I could feel the hairs on my neck beginning to stick up when I heard my door open again.

"Luke?" Jocelyn said. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing," he answered, standing from the bed. "I just came to check on Clary."

Check on me my ass!

The two of them left the room and gently closed the door behind them.

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. Closing my eyes, I relaxed my muscles and allowed myself to fall back to sleep.

It didn't seem like that much longer when I woke up to a tapping noise.

Reluctantly, I got up from my warm spot on the bed, rubbing my eyes from sleep.

I turned my head and heard the tapping noise again. It was coming from the window.

I forced my eyes to stop drooping and looked carefully. Someone was standing outside, knocking on the glass. Camille.

With an amused smile, Camille waved for me to come out. I had forgotten about our meeting.

I wrapped my small summer's house coat around me along with some sandals before I followed Camille outside.

The warm air blew through my hair, filling me with the familiar scent of New York.

"Weren't you supposed to come the minute the sun came down?" I asked as I sat down next to her on the stairs.

"Sorry, something came up. I was only a couple hours late. When I came to get you, you were sleeping. So, I went back to my place and figured we could reschedule. But then I thought you would've been mad so I came back."

I yawned. "Ok. So, you said you were willing to answer any of my questions."

"I said I would try my best to answer them. Don't get mad if I don't say anything."

I clenched my teeth but nodded.

"All right. Now, what's your first question?"

I thought for a minute. "How does my mother know Magnus?"

"I all ready told you that. They're good friends. He and I used to help Jocelyn and Luke out when you went on one of your baby rampages." She chuckled as if she could see it happening once again.

"What? Magnus babysat me too?"

Camille shrugged. "Usually, it was just me. But every now and again Magnus would stop by to lend me a hand."

I glanced at Camille, hearing a sort of softness that I don't hear often. "What's with you and Magnus?"

"What do you mean?"

"Are you two…you know…a _thing?_" I asked.

Camille glared one of her famous vampire glares that made me jump out of my skin. Her green eyes darkened considerably and in her anger, the tips of her fangs began to show as she snarled. "Why would you ask that?"

It took me a moment to recover from her outburst. "I-I was only-"

"Next question."

I swallowed hard and tried to shake my fears away.

"Clary!" she snapped. "Next question. Now."

"U-um…" I tried to think of something quick but I just couldn't. I knew Camille was going to burst if I kept silent but nonetheless, I kept thinking.

My mind drifted back to when she said she babysat me when I was a kid. But for some reason, I couldn't think of any old memories.

"Camille-"

"What?" she said grouchily.

I looked back at her and found her picking at a non-existent piece of lint on her sparkly white blouse.

"Why can't I remember-" The minute the words came from my mouth, I caught a flash of something in my mind. It was a series of swirls and loops, forming some sort of symbol I've never seen before.

"Can't remember what?" Her voice was still harsh. But when I didn't respond, her voice softened. "Clary? Can't remember what?"

I blinked, coming back to reality.

"What's wrong?"

I shook my head. "Nothing."

"What can't you remember?"

I sighed, stifling another yawn. "I can't remember anything back from when I was a child. Why is that?"

Camille said nothing. And it wasn't a silence that told me she was thinking. It a silence that told me she was holding something back from me.

"Camille," I said in a warning voice.

She lifted a brow at me.

"What aren't you telling me?" I inquired.

"Nothing."

"You're lying!"

"Clary, you said you wouldn't get mad if I didn't say anything. Maybe, this is just a question I just don't know the answer to."

I crossed my arms, but didn't break my gaze. "Well?"

"Well, what?"

"Is it a question you don't know the answer to?"

Camille sighed. "Clary, don't make this hard. I don't know."

"You're positive you don't know?"

"I," she said sternly. "Don't. Know."

Hurt by her stark response, I stood up from my spot and began to climb back into my room.

"Clary, wait."

I turned around and crossed my arms stubbornly.

"I'm sorry."

Rolling my eyes I turned back around, ready to slam the window in her face.

"I came here so we can sit and talk," Camille said guiltily.

I whipped back around. I planned to snap at her but I didn't want to wake Luke and Jocelyn up and it seemed to be a silly thing to get worked up over.

"And that's what we did," I responded. "We sat and talked. Now, I'm tired so I'm going to bed."

I finished climbing through the window.

"I really am sorry," Camille said again.

I smiled at her. "Goodnight, Camille." I closed the window and before I could shut the curtains, she was gone. I had yet to get used to her supersonic vampire speed.

Shrugging off my house coat, I climbed back into bed and fell asleep quickly. But I hated the dream that I had.

Luke was back in my room with some sort of pen in his hand. I recognized it as the pen he gave me a while ago. The one he told me that I had to find the secret power or whatever. Jesus, how lame. What was this, Lord of the Rings?

He drew the combinations of swirls and loops that I saw while talking to Camille. Once it was drawn on my skin, it began to burn. But I was barely aware of it. It was like the symbol on my neck was giving me a vision of the past.

I was a young girl. About four or five. There was someone holding me. Since I was so short, it seemed like I were on top of the mountain but as I look and compare it to my height, the man holding me could only be about a foot higher.

I screamed out for Jocelyn who just stared and watched me being pulled away. There were tears in her eyes but she told me everything would be ok.

The man holding me gently placed me to the ground. I finally had a good look at his face. Magnus.

He lifted his left hand. But what sent the younger me ballistic was seeing a bright blue flame enveloping his hand. It didn't seem to harm him. He showed no sign of pain.

I saw someone walk behind Magnus.

_Were you and Magnus…you know, a thing?_ my voice echoed through the scene.

Camille crouched next to Magnus and helped keep me still. I caught a glimpse of a ring on her left finger. It was a wedding ring.

Magnus brought down his flaming hand to my face and then everything went black.

I woke up with a start.

Instinctively, I grabbed my sketchbook and drew the mark that Luke drew on my neck.

As I recreated the jumbled up lines, I could feel a slight tingling on my neck as if the thing was actually drawn there.

After the unknown symbol was drawn, I turned the page and began to sketch other things. I drew the mirror, the sword and the cup I saw in my previous dream, I drew the boy who I now knew wasn't good at all and last, I drew the sight that had been bothering me ever since I saw it. Jace lying on the floor with blood pouring out of him.

I wanted to rip the pages out and burn them like I usually do. But I remembered what Jace said about keeping the pictures so we could try to break the code.

So I kept them all except the one of Jace. I didn't think it necessary for him to know about that part.

I had just finished eating breakfast when I heard my cell phone ringing. Going into my room, I picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Clary! I need you here right now."

I looked at the time. It was almost eleven. "Is everything ok?"

"No! Clary, c'mon! Just get over here!"

I jumped a little, not sure if hearing the calm Jace yell was what scared me or hearing the panic in his voice like the night I dreamt about him.

Shaking the memory off, I said, "Ok, hold on. I'm on my way." And with that, I hung up.

I ran a hand through my hair as I tried to figure things out. Jocelyn and Luke were home. I was grounded. Luke seemed like he wouldn't rat me out but then again, he seemed like the kind of person who would lie.

Jocelyn would go crazy if she knew I left. But right now I had no choice. Jace was in trouble.

Ripping my nightwear off, I threw on a pair of shorts and white shirt along with some flip-flops. I moved the dresser back in front of the door as quietly as I could and then I slipped out the window and ran down the stairs.

I tried to run but I ended up tripping over my sandals. "Ugh! Stupid sons of bitches!" I took the sandals off and shoved them into my bag and ran barefoot.

I dodged the pedestrians and tried my best not to get run over by cars but there was an incident when I wasn't that careful. If the pedestrian who saw me about to cross the street hadn't held me back, I would've been dead.

Glancing down at the paper that had Jace's address on it, I ran around the corner and onto the first house on the left.

I rang the doorbell.

It didn't take long for Jace to get to the door. He grabbed my hand and dragged me up the stairs and into his room.

"You wanna tell me what's wrong now?" I asked breathlessly.

Jace held up a piece of paper that was charred around the edges. "You see this?"

"Yeah, why?"

Jace picked up a pen. "The pen did it."

I lifted a brow. "I just ran half a mile at top speed because you burned a piece of paper?" I couldn't help but feel a little pissed. All that over paper? Really?

Jace sighed. "I'm serious. This is really weird. And I had a dream last night and I saw this pen."

Aggravated, I snatched the pen from his hand and looked at it.

The pen looked like the one that Luke gave me. Suddenly understanding Jace's urgency, I took out the pen that Luke had given me. They looked exactly the same.

"Where'd you find this?" I asked.

"Where'd _you_ find it?" Jace repeated.

"My step-dad gave it to me."

"I found this one in my mom's room."

"And you said the pen burned the paper?" I asked.

Jace nodded.

I sat down on the bed and pulled out my sketchbook. I flipped to the page where the strange mark was. "I saw this in my dream last night. Do you think if we draw it with one of those pens, we can do something with it?"

Jace handed me his mysterious pen and I drew the mark on a new piece of paper.

I took the paper and carefully traced the lines with the pen.

After it was drawn, I was expecting it to burst into flames. Which it did. But before that, it began to glow a soft purple.

I looked at Jace partly with fear and partly with excitement.

"Clary, I think we-"

The paper bust into flames and I jumped up with a shriek as Jace tried to put out the fire by stomping on it.

When the fire was out, Jace looked at me. "You ok?"

I nodded as I laughed. "Yeah, I'm good."

"I saw that mark in my dream, I think," he said.

"What'd you dream about?"

"About some kid. He had black hair, blue eyes and tattoos all over his skin. He was standing in a room that had tons and tons of weapons hanging on the walls. It looked like he was talking to someone, a girl maybe? I'm not sure, I didn't get a good look. But I think one of his tattoos looked like the one you just drew."

"So, it was like a vision?" I asked.

"Maybe. But it must've been in the past. I mean, the way he dressed looked so old fashioned."

I smiled. We were finally getting somewhere. "Oh my God, me too! I had a dream like that! Except it was of me when I was a little girl."

"What'd you see?" he asked.

"My mom took me to my therapist. Like, the therapist I'm seeing now. This might sound a little crazy, but he straddled me on the floor and then his hand lit up in fire. He put his hand on me and that's when I woke up."

Jace kept looking at me in thought. "That was your current therapist?"

I nodded. "Isn't that weird?"

"It's beyond weird, Clary. We both had the same type of dream, both involving that bizarre thing you drew. Maybe you should talk to your therapist. If he's even a therapist at all."

I laughed. "It's funny, I asked him that very question when we first met. But he seems really nice. I don't think he'd have anything to do with this."

"That doesn't mean he doesn't know anything."

I shrugged. "True. Oh! Here, I drew this too." I showed him the picture of the mirror, the cup and the sword. "Have you seen these before?"

He looked at it for a moment. "I know I've seen this one." Jace pointed to the sword. "I've seen it in a painting that my mom has. I think it's in the basement. C'mon, I'll show you."

I followed him down the stairs. And now that I wasn't in a rush, I was able to pay attention to how nice his house was. Possibly the nicest in all of New York.

I walked down into the basement and sat down on the couch as he raided the closet.

After a few minutes, he pulled out a painting that seemed bigger than he was.

"Here it is." He set down on the floor. "That's the sword, right?"

"Yeah," I said as I stood up. "That's it."

In the painting, there was a man, an angel rather, rising out of a lake holding the sword.

"Did your mom ever tell you about the painting?"

"I'm pretty sure she did but I must've been tuning her out."

I rolled my eyes at that. "Of course."

"I only remember bits and pieces. I think the angel here is named Raziel or something? And something about that lake is important or…" his voice drifted off. "Never mind, I don't know shit."

I laughed. "That's all right. I'll do some research about it later."

My phone started vibrating in my pocket. Pulling it out I looked at the caller id. Jocelyn was calling.

I sighed as it went to voicemail.

"What?"

I looked up at him, a blush beginning to warm my cheeks. "So, I have a confession to make."

Jace smirked. "What's that?"

"I'm grounded. And my mom just called which means she knows I've snuck out. So, I'm probably gonna get into loads of trouble."

Jace laughed. "Is that why you left yesterday?"

I nodded. "And I'm afraid I'm gonna have to do it again."

"Ok, I'll walk you out."

When we reached the door, I tried to stall.

"So, when can we see each other again?"

"I thought you said you were grounded?" Jace asked.

"I am, but that's not gonna stop me from getting the information I need."

Jace chuckled. "I don't know. How about we play it by ear?"

"Sounds good. Bye, Jace."

"See ya."

I left the house and instead of going home, I decided to drag it out a little. I went to the ice cream parlor first. Then I went home. Of course, I took the long way.

When I was back in my room, Jocelyn was sitting on my bed, legs crossed and a permanent scowl on her face.

"Miss me?" I said sarcastically.

Jocelyn stood up and did something I really wasn't expecting. She hit me.

I tried not to show the pain but the stinging in my cheek made my eyes water a bit.

"When I say," she said in a scarily soft voice, "you are grounded," she paused to turn my head so I was looking at her. "you stay _inside the house_. Do I make myself clear?"

I clenched my teeth so hard, I thought I might have chipped a tooth. "Yes," I growled.

"Good." She left the room without closing the door.

I stomped toward it and slammed it as hard as I could. Then I flung myself onto my bed.

Jocelyn opened the door again. "Did I say you could close this _fucking door?_"

I balled my hands into fists to keep from punching her lights out.

Thankfully, she left before I could do anything stupid.

After a couple hours of me listening to music, my phone rang.

"Hey, Simon."

"Hey Chocolate Éclair-y."

I rolled my eyes at his ridiculous nicknames.

"I know it's kind of last minute but what are your plans for tonight?"

I looked outside my open door and heard hushed voices coming from Luke and Jocelyn. "Nothing much, why?"

"Well, Maia and I wanted to go see a movie and she asked me if you wanted to come."

I smirked almost evilly. "I'd be glad to."

**Oooooh, an evil Clary lol just kidding. I hoped you guys enjoyed this chapter! I can't wait until chapter nine this weekend! I promise i'll put up some excerpts on twitter sometime. I know i didn't for this chapter but you had to wait a day so it wasn't too bad was it?**

**Review plz!**

**l**

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**v**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey guys! Sorry this chapter's up so late. My laptop died and then the charger wouldn't work. It was really weird. But I finally got it to work so here it is. I hope you guys like it!**

Shoving my phone in my pocket, I looked out into the hallway. Luke was dumping his dishes in the sink and Jocelyn was in the shower.

I shrugged and decided to go for it. I took my purse and walked to the door.

"Where're you headed?" Luke asked.

"Somewhere," I answered. And then I closed the door before he could reply.

Trotting down the steps, I speed-walked to the movie theatre. I didn't want to get stopped by Jocelyn on the way there.

When I got there, I was expecting to see _both_ Maia and Simon. But only Maia was there.

I was still trying to decide whether I liked Maia or not but I liked her enough to say Simon was an idiot if he stood her up.

"Where's Simon?" I asked.

Maia shrugged. "Running a little late, I guess."

I rolled my eyes and pulled out my phone to call him.

When he answered, I could barely understand him through all of his gasps for air.

"I know…I'm late…I'm almost…there," he said.

"Yeah, you better be. If you're not here in three minutes, I'm making you pay for my ticket."

"Oh, God, I'm gonna have an asthma attack!"

I giggled as I hung up. When I looked up Maia was smiling. "What?"

"Nothing," she said with a small chuckle. "Simon's funny, that's all."

"You heard him?" I asked surprised.

She nodded with another laugh.

I decided to fix the volume on my phone. I never realized it was loud enough for others to hear.

Maia and I sat for a couple minutes while we waited for Simon. She told me about what she and Simon have been up to since the first time I saw them together in the café. They had talked on the phone, met in the library and had dinner in the one of the cheap restaurants.

"I think he's so adorable," she said with a smile.

I laughed awkwardly. I didn't really know what to say. The only real girl friends I had were back in elementary school and we never really talked about boys. Then in middle school, they ditched me for makeup, thongs and high heels while I stuck with my torn up Nikes and baggy jeans.

And hearing someone talk about Simon like that was just weird. I had always pictured Simon as a brother even though sometimes I got the feeling that he wanted something more.

I never had a boyfriend or anyone who I really liked. I was unfamiliar with the way Maia spoke, the way her eyes glazed over as she remembered something, the way she collapsed against the wall every time she said Simon's name.

"…I dunno," Maia's voice finally trailed off, ending her long lovey-dovey speech. "Have you ever felt that way about someone or am I just that pathetic?"

"Um…" What was I supposed to say?

"Don't worry, guys!" Simon came to my rescue as he ran up to us. "I'm here!"

After paying for our tickets, we walked inside the theatre, bought some snacks and went to find some good seats.

Simon almost made the mistake of sitting next to me. But after listening to Maia talk about him like that, I knew it had to be more meaningful than one of those puppy-love things that people talk about. I mean, I'm not saying I actually _know_ anything about this crap but I think it would be important that Simon sat next to Maia instead of me.

About half way through the movie, I glanced over to Maia and Simon. Maia had shifted herself so she was partly leaning on Simon and partly leaning on the chair. Simon was slouching so Maia could lay her head on his shoulder.

I awkwardly began to fiddle the split ends on my hair. Looking at the two of them sit so close together made me want to leave. I felt like I was invading their privacy. This should've been their date. Just the two of them.

I began to regret making Simon sit next to Maia.

After what felt like forever, the credits began to roll.

I exhaled, allowing my muscles to relax. Reluctantly looking over, Simon and Maia were getting out of their comfortable positions. Then they looked over at me.

"That was really good," Maia said with a smile.

"Yeah, I liked it too," I lied. I actually hadn't paid attention to any of it. I was only counting back the seconds to when I'd be free again.

When we walked back into the lobby, Simon and Maia had excused themselves to the bathroom. I should have gone too but I didn't want to be forced into conversation with Maia. I wasn't all too happy with her stealing my only friend.

"Ok," I said as cheerily as I could. "I'll wait for you guys outside. It's chilly in here."

I hurried out the doors and crossed my arms. I was being childish, I knew. But I didn't care. They invited me to see a movie with them as friends. They never said they needed a fucking chaperone for their date.

I took a deep breath. Simon and Maia were going to be out here any second now. I couldn't let them see how angry I was.

I closed my eyes and tried to relax. I was almost calm when I felt a sharp pain in my forearm.

Groaning, I looked down to find a bite mark there.

I looked up to find a black blob standing at the corner of the street. It resembled a cat ready to pounce. It shifted his weight onto his hind legs.

"Clary! What happened?"

I looked over to see Maia. She was staring at my arm. I didn't know what to say. I was attacked by a half-breed that only I could see.

Maia looked back over to where the thing was across the street. For a moment, I thought she saw him too. But when I turned around the thing was gone.

"C'mon, let's get you out of here."

"What about Simon?" I asked.

Maia looked over to me and said something but I didn't hear it. The world began to tilt and I lost my balance and fell to the ground. Her face melted and altered into the head of a wolf.

I screamed as loud as I could and tried to get away but she grabbed onto my shoulders. She yelled something at me but it was like trying to hear with water in your ears. And then everything faded to black like one of those clichéd Hollywood movies.

I dreamt of a symbol. Like the one I saw while talking to Camille. But it looked different. It stood for something else. But I wasn't sure what. I stared at the symbol for what felt like a long time. And then I felt myself begin to wake up.

Luke's face was in front of mine. I smiled, thinking that he wasn't bad after all. He was saving me. But then I saw him holding the weird pen. He had done this before last night. He tried to draw something on me. And I was going to let him. But this time I wouldn't let him.

I pushed him as hard as I could. "Get off me!"

"Clary, stop!" he yelled. "I'm trying to help!"

"Simon!" I screamed. "Simon, help me, please! Maia!" I didn't see the two of them anywhere.

"Clary, hold still!" Luke said as he tried to hold me down.

"No, you sick _bastard!_ What is _wrong_ with you?"

"Stop it, Clarissa."

"_Simon!_"

Luke gripped my arm harshly and drew something on my arm.

"No! Luke, please! Don't hurt me!"

"Clary, just relax. It'll be over soon. It's ok."

I grabbed the closest thing that I could get my hands on. It just so happened to be a Kleenex Tissues box. I used it to hit Luke upside the head multiple times.

"Ouch! Clary, what are you doing?"

"Get the fuck off me." I hit him one last time and then I was able to crawl out from under him and raced down the steps. Simon met me at the bottom.

"Are you ok?"

"No!" I yelled. "Just get me out of here."

"Ok, we're gonna go to my house, all right?"

I nodded and followed him outside.

When we got to Simon's house, Ms. Lewis was already there. When she looked at me she asked if I was ok but I didn't say anything. I just let Simon do all of the talking.

He whispered something to her and she nodded.

"Clary," she said, "why don't you stay with Simon while I get the guest room ready."

"Ok. Thanks."

"Of course, dear."

Simon took me to his room and we watched a movie while his mom got the room fixed.

When the movie ended, Simon wanted to walk me to the room but I told him that I was a big girl now and I could walk by myself.

Once I was into bed, I purposely left the door open. I knew Simon was going to turn on his video games and even though the music was super annoying, it was the only sound that would keep me from getting nightmares.

"What? Laura! I know you can play better than that!"

I smiled, feeling even more at home.

I found a bag in front of the guest room door when I woke up.

I took it to the bed, closing the door again.

There was a note on top of everything.

_I didn't tell Jocelyn where you were. But running to Simon's house wasn't that discreet. With one phone call, she'll know._

_I'm sorry about last night, Clary. I know it must've been pretty traumatic. But I promise, I'm not the bad guy. I'm only trying to help you. You can trust me._

_I love you,_

_Luke_

Crumpling the note up, I threw it in the trash. He was right. I _didn't_ trust him. I didn't trust anyone.

I went through the bag. There were at least a month's worth of clothes which shocked me. I wasn't really thinking about how long I was going to avoid Luke and Jocelyn. But I realized I never wanted to go back. But I couldn't just stay here forever.

Sighing, I pushed the thoughts away.

There was my cell phone charger, iPod charger, sketch book-I could go for a while. The point is I had pretty much everything else I needed. And at the very bottom was that dumb pen. I wanted to throw that across the room too. But I thought it would help me and Jace figure out what the hell was going on. So, I kept it.

I opened the door and looked around. Simon's door was closed which told me he was still asleep.

Downstairs, I heard someone clanking around and smelled coffee beans. I knew that was Ms. Lewis.

I went down the steps and waved awkwardly.

"Good morning, Clary," she said. "Would you like a cup of coffee?"

"Yes please," I said as I grabbed a cup.

She poured some in my cup and we sat down at the table.

"So how have you been?" she asked.

It was a straight-forward question. I should've been able to answer it without getting goose-bumps all over.

"Fine, I guess."

"What's going on with you and your parents?"

I took a sip of my coffee and tried not to wince when it singed my tongue. "It's complicated."

"All right, Clary. You can stay here for as long as you need to. But only on one condition."

I looked at her questioningly.

"You call them every once in a while to let them know that you're ok."

"Ok, I will."

"Good. That makes me feel better."

I indicated the cup. "Can I take this upstairs?"

"Sure. Just be careful."

I carried it with me up to the guest room. I closed the door again, shoved the headphones to my iPod in my ears and pulled out my sketchbook.

Even though Ms. Lewis asked me to call my parents, I refused to. I thought about a text but I'm not even sure if they deserved that.

I drew the half-breed that attacked me last night along with Maia's wolf face and other nonsense that I was sure had nothing to do with the problem. But it kept me busy.

When my coffee was finished, I grabbed my clothes and hopped into the shower. By the time I was finished, Simon was awake. After he ate, we played his video games, watched movies and just hung out.

When it reached nine o'clock, I made some excuse about how I didn't get much sleep the other night and was tired. Simon bought it and I was able to leave.

But, instead of going into bedroom, I crept downstairs and stepped outside. I grabbed the spare key I knew Ms. Lewis kept under the mat and walked to the subway.

I knew she didn't like me being there but I had to go. I went back to the café hoping that Camille would be there. But this time, I wasn't so lucky. She wasn't there.

All of the monsters stared at me. I swallowed hard and planned on calmly turning back around and going home. But someone had grabbed my arm which made me jump.

"Hey, Clary. Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

I smiled. "It's ok, Maia."

"What are you doing over here? I thought you were staying at Simon's?" she asked.

"I am. I just came to visit someone. But she's not here."

"Who are you looking for?"

"Um, Camille? She's got long blond hair-"

"The one who's always wearing pumps?" she interrupted bitterly.

I nodded.

"Yeah, she lives around the block. I'll walk you there just to make sure nothing happens. You know this is the most dangerous part of the city, don't you?"

I smiled. "Yeah, I kind of figured."

"And after everything that's happened you're still here," Maia said as she followed me outside.

I shrugged. "It's important."

Maia scoffed.

"What?"

"That bitch is purposely trying to get you killed."

I blinked. "Who, Camille?"

"Yeah! She's not really a nice person. I'm sure you already know that."

Maia was partly right. But Camille was only like that to protect me. "She's not all bad."

"Whatever."

"I take it you two aren't that fond of each other."

Maia waved it off. "Eh. I guess it's just instinct."

I had no idea what that meant but I ignored it.

"How's your arm?"

I had been trying not to think about my arm but now that she mentioned it, I had the urge to look.

There should've been a scab from where I was bleeding but there was only a red mark. And Luke and drawn something with that pen. But nothing was there.

I thought back to when I was attacked Wednesday night. I most likely had a concussion and broken at least one rib. But when I woke up in the middle of the night, I found a black mark on my stomach. Then it disappeared in the morning.

The pen. I had to remember that. I had to tell Jace. Maybe what Luke had drawn on me was something the help me get better faster. But it seemed so surreal.

"Right here," Maia said as she stood me in front of a house. "That's where Camille lives."

"Thanks, Maia. I owe you."

"Anytime," she said. "Stay safe."

"You too."

She laughed at that. "Ok."

I went up to the porch and rang the doorbell.

When she opened the door, she looked pissed to see me. "Are you mentally ill?"

I recoiled. "No."

"Then why is it so hard for you to understand that I don't want you to be around here?"

I sighed. "It's important. Just let me in."

She did. "What's the emergency?"

"I got attacked again last night."

Camille motioned for me to sit down on the couch with her. "When?"

"Last night at the movie theatre."

"What did it do?"

I sighed and showed her my arm. "It bit me. And then I got all woozy and started hallucinating. They had to carry me back to someone's house. It think it might've been Maia's but I'm not sure."

Camille grimaced at the sound of Maia's name.

"Then Luke used that weird-looking pen to draw something on me and it helped."

Camille ran her hand through here hair. "Man, they're really starting to go crazy."

"Can you tell me who _they_ are? I'm really tired of pretending that it doesn't matter. I could die."

She rolled her eyes. "You're not going to die."

"You don't know that. Just tell me. Please. No more riddles."

She stared at me for a while. Then she finally said, "They're demons."

I thought of _Constantine._ "Like half-breeds?"

"Stop thinking about that stupid movie Magnus showed you. They're aren't half-breed demons. They're just demons."

"Then why haven't they killed me yet?"

She stared at me as if I had three heads. "You say that like it's a bad thing."

I rolled my eyes. "If they're demons they should be able to kill anyone on the spot. Why haven't they done it yet?"

"Because they're tormenting you. And frankly, you're their only sense of entertainment."

"Great."

"Where have you been, anyway?" she asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I came by your apartment earlier today and you weren't there," Camille said.

"I refuse to stay there."

"Why?"

"Because I don't trust them."

"Clary, c'mon now. You know Luke's not going to hurt you."

"Then, it's Jocelyn I don't trust."

She opened her mouth to say something but then closed it. "Yeah, you're right. She is kind of a bitch."

"And you're not?"

She glared at me.

"Can you do me a favor?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Because I'm a bitch."

It was my turn to glare.

"What is it, Pipsqueak?"

"Take me to Magnus's place."

"Why, you want to interrogate him?" she asked sarcastically.

"Yeah."

"Of course you do."

I waited for a real answer.

"Fine! I'll take you."

"Thank you." I stood up and walked to the door.

Camille was suddenly standing in front of me. "Where do you think you're going?"

"My friend's house. I'm tired."

"I'll take you. You're not walking by yourself."

"You're a little too protective."

Camille looked at me. "And that's why you're still breathing."

I climbed onto the back of her motorcycle and gave her directions. When we got there it was almost eleven.

"Thanks, Camille."

"You're welcome. I'll come by at nine, ok?"

"You won't be late?"

"Maybe about ten minutes."

I flipped her the bird.

"Been there, done that."

"Ew." I took out my key and unlocked the door. Then I placed it back under the mat and shut the door as lightly as I could.

I didn't take me long to fall asleep. Simon was strumming his guitar. And even thought it sounded absolutely horrible, it put me to sleep.

**So? What did you think? I thought it was starting to get a little boring so I brought some more action into the picture. Lol Well, until next week**

**Review plz!**

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	10. Chapter 10

**Hey guys! Sorry I didn't update on Saturday. I got a little distracted by playing Temple Run on my iPod. It's so addicting! lol well anyway, since it's a holiday, I decided to update two chapters today. :) hope you're all excited. But before I really start, I'd like to say something about this special day.**

**In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I'd like to remind you all that this isn't just about the blacks finally obtaining freedom. I am African American, so don't be offended by this. We had an assembly at my school on Friday, you know, just about the history of segregation, Rosa Parks, MLK, etc. But during the whole presentation, all I saw were black kids. They had little skits and everything which was cool. But what really bothered me was the fact that they had those black kids play white kids. What about the whites? Were they excluded from the whole thing? If I was white and I decided I wanted to be in one of the skits, would they reject me? Again, this isn't just about the blacks. It's about everyone uniting.**

**Whew, glad to get that off my chest. Now let's start the chapter!  
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I woke up to someone shaking my bed. I tried to ignore it by turning over. But the shaking increased by tenfold.

"Wake up, Clary!"

Reluctantly opening my eyes, I saw Simon jumping on the bed, clumsily trying to avoid stepping on my legs. "The hell are you doing?"

Simon plopped down next to me. "Mom got us doughnuts for breakfast!" He was as hyper as a kid on Christmas morning.

I laughed. "You're such a dork!"

"I'm your dork. Now, let's go!"

I followed him down the steps, almost tripping over myself and dove for the doughnuts.

Ms. Lewis laughed at the two of us as she poured herself a cup of coffee. "Would you like some, Clary?"

"Yes, please."

She handed me a cup.

"Coffee stunts your growth, you know," Simon commented.

I just stared down at the cup.

"No wonder you're barely five feet tall."

Ms. Lewis glared at Simon. "Stop it. That's just a myth." Then she looked at me. "You're fine, dear. You just haven't hit your growth spurt yet."

Deciding that Ms. Lewis was the better person to believe, I took a sip of coffee.

"So, what do you want to do today?" Simon asked through a mouthful of chocolate icing and sprinkles.

I stifled a laugh. "Well, a friend of mine was planning on taking me out tonight around nine."

"Who's your friend?" Simon asked. "Is it a boy?"

"A boy?" Ms. Lewis repeated.

"No!"

"Liar."

"She's a _girl_," I told them both, "and her name's Camille."

"Oh, you mean the hot waitress?" said Simon. "Weren't you complaining before about how she scared you?"

I shrugged. "She's pretty cool."

"She seems a bit old to be hanging around you," Ms. Lewis pointed out.

"She's friends with my parents. She used to be my babysitter."

"Oh, that's cool."

"We should go see a movie," Simon said changing the subject. "But one of the early showings since you have plans tonight."

I thought back two nights. I was attacked at that movie theatre. It could've been anyone. It could've been Maia or Simon or maybe all three of us. "I'm not really up for a movie."

"Si, why don't you show Clary the new game I bought you."

Simon gasped. "Oh my God! Clary, c'mon you have to come play this game with me."

He dragged me back up the stairs and into his room. I hate to admit it but Simon was right. The game was pretty fun. We ended up playing for a long while.

Ms. Lewis brought us lunch and about an hour before dinner she said,

"We should invite Maia to dinner."

Simon smiled. "Yeah, that's a good idea. What do you think, Clare?"

I wanted to say no. But Simon really liked Maia and vice versa. Besides with Ms. Lewis with us, what could they possibly do? "Sure."

"Ok. Give her a call, Simon."

He picked up the phone and held it up to his ear. He must've had her on speed dial because I didn't even see him press any numbers.

"Hey, Maia. Yeah, it's me. What are you doing tonight?" He waited for a second. "Do you want to have dinner with us? Clary will be with us too." Another pause. "Ok, great. See you in an hour." He hung up and smiled a smile I've never seen before.

Looking away from him, I grabbed the controller. "C'mon, let's keep playing."

Simon laughed at me and then resumed the game.

When the doorbell rang, Simon jumped up from his spot without pausing the game first. If I wasn't there the witch would've killed him. He must really like this girl if he's willing to lose a life.

I followed him downstairs and sat down next to Ms. Lewis while Simon answered the door.

The two of them walked in sticking so close together you'd think they were impersonating magnets.

They sat across from me and Ms. Lewis.

"How have you been, Maia?" Ms. Lewis started the conversation.

"I'm all right, how about you?"

"I'm fine, thanks."

I didn't talk much. I just watched. And as I watched I found a few quirks in everyone. Simon was right handed but ate with his left. He also had a bit of a lazy eye.

Ms. Lewis liked to twitch. Her fingers would move when they stayed still for too long and every now and again I would see her bouncing her knee.

I found the most in Maia though. The way her eyes looked made me wonder if I was still hallucinating from when the demon bit me. They were a light brown but every time they moved to look at something, they shimmered with gold.

When she smiled, I could see her canines. They were really sharp. I guess there are tons of people who have sharp canines but Maia's were _sharp_. And she was chewing extremely fast. I tensed worrying that she would bite her tongue. Talk about pain.

When we finished dinner, we moved into the living room. Ms. Lewis opened a few windows and they all sat down on the couch while I sat down in the armchair. There was room for me on the couch but I liked having my personal space.

They continued to talk, me just adding comments when I thought was necessary but for the most part, I was silent. They even played a game of charades. It took everything I had for me to not roll my eyes.

"What do you want to play next, Clary?" Maia asked.

I looked at the time. "Um, actually, I should go get ready."

"Oh, yeah," Simon said. "Clary's going out with her friend."

"Who's your friend?"

I cleared my throat. The whole night they'd barely paid any attention to me and now all of a sudden it was "Oh, what's Clary up to?"

"Uh, Camille."

I saw they way her teeth clenched. She _really_ disliked her. But still she said, "Cool. Have fun."

"Thanks."

I went up the stairs. I knew it wouldn't take me a whole half-hour to get ready but I didn't want to back downstairs. So, I went through my sketchbook and thought about the questions I needed to ask.

I had the symbol I drew when I talked to Camille and I had the charred piece of paper from when I drew the symbol with the pen. I could ask Magnus about that though I'm not sure what kind of answer he'd give. Maybe I'd save that one for last.

I had the cup, the sword and the mirror. I'm not sure if they had any significance but it's better safe than sorry.

The rest were pictures of demons. Then something hit me. I finally understood what Magnus was trying to do on our therapy session.

He showed me _Constantine_ because the main character could see half-breeds just like I could see demons. He was answering my questions all along! I was just too blind to see it.

I chuckled. "Oh, Magnus," I said to myself. "You're amazing."

With the rest of my fifteen minutes, I began making a playlist for Magnus. I put all of Adam Lambert's songs on there, the small amount of Lady Gaga I had and Avril Lavigne.

"Hey, Clary!" Simon called from downstairs.

I walked out of the room and to the top of the staircase. "What's up?"

"I think Cameron's here."

I rolled my eyes. "Her name's Camille."

"Whatever."

I went to grab my sketchbook, cell phone and iPod. And then I went downstairs.

"Take the key under the mat when you get outside."

"There's a key under the mat?" I tried to act as if I had no idea it was there.

"Yep. Don't miss curfew."

I laughed. "Yes, _Dad_."

I hopped onto the back of Camille's bike and she gave me her helmet. "Thanks for picking me up."

"Well, you didn't exactly give me a choice, but you're welcome anyway."

I rolled my eyes as she pulled off.

Once we were out of Simon's view, we started flying.

I shrieked, completely unprepared for the lift.

I felt Camille laughing. "You've ridden this thing-how many times now?-and you still haven't gotten used to this?"

"Um, excuse me! But this is only my third time riding it and we've only flown once before."

"Well now, it's your second time flying. Get used to it."

We landed in front of Magnus's house in five minutes when it should've taken at least half an hour.

"Ok, this is your stop."

I took off my helmet and gave it back to her. "You're not gonna say hi?"

She looked back at the house and the confident smile and gleam in her eyes she always had began to fade and turn into something more…melancholic. "Nah, I'm just gonna go. Call me when your ready. Or maybe Magnus will be nice enough to give you a ride back."

I got off of the bike and stood in front of her so she was looking at me. "Are you ok?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

I looked back at Magnus's house.

"Clarissa, please tell me you are _not_ about to ask me about Magnus and me."

I held up my hands in surrender and walked away.

I went to ring the doorbell but the door opened before I could.

"Clary! I do believe we weren't due for another meeting until this Friday."

"Oh, um, if you're busy I can-"

Magnus waved his hand at me. "Nonsense! Come in."

I stepped inside and then turned around to wave to Camille but she was already gone.

"Can I offer you anything? A drink? A snack? A sweaty boy?"

I turned to say no thank you but I got distracted by what he was wearing.

Magnus wore a Rebecca Black T-shirt and torn red skinny jeans. He saw me staring at him and posed. "Don't I look amazing?"

I laughed. "Yes, you do. You'll be the next top model."

Magnus feigned a blush. "Oh, stop. You look pretty damn good too in that denim dress."

I rolled my eyes.

"C'mon, let's take a seat in the family room."

I followed him out of the foyer and sat down on the couch next to him.

"So, is there any particular reason why you came out this way tonight?"

I pulled both feet under me and faced him. "Well, yeah, but can I ask you a personal question first?"

Magnus looked at me for a while deciding on his answer. "Sure."

I blinked. I was almost expecting him to say no. "Um, were you and Camille ever a couple?"

Magnus sighed in relief and smiled. "Oh, I thought you were going to ask something else."

I smiled at his humor but waited for an answer.

"Yes, we were a couple."

After a moment of awkward silence, I asked for more details. "So, what happened?"

Magnus sighed again but it didn't sound so relieving. "Well, you know how Camille is. She's tough. She doesn't like to show emotion. She…I don't know how to describe her."

I laughed. "You don't have to be gentle. You can say she acts like a bitch."

Magnus smiled. "Yeah, she is kind of a bitch sometimes. Very profound. But when we were younger, she had a harder time figuring out who she wanted to be. Sometimes she would be sweet and caring. I liked her like that. That was the girl I fell in love with. But I don't know what happened after that. She put a wall up and wouldn't let anyone in."

I pulled my knees to my chest, fully engaged in the story. They weren't just a couple. They were _in love_. This was a big deal. Magnus and Camille still seemed so close. I wondered how many awkward moments there have been since then.

"You know I have no idea what that means, right?" I said.

Magnus smiled. "I know you don't. But it seems she's decided to keep pretending to be tough. Either that or she really has built some backbone over the years."

"Over the years?" I repeated. "You can't be any more than twenty!"

Magnus laughed. "Trust me, kid. We're older than you think."

I sighed still completely confused.

"Camille's changed." I wasn't sure if he was talking to me or himself. "But then again, so have I."

"I'm so confused."

Magnus laughed again. "You're young. You'll understand when you're older."

"Well, I hope I grow up soon because I'm seriously tired of people telling me that."

"Oh, darling! _Trust me_, you are not missing out on anything. Growing up sucks ass." He put his arm around my shoulders and gave me a sideways hug. "Now, I'm sure you didn't come all the way here to ask about my history with Camille."

"You're right, I didn't." I took out my sketchbook and showed him one of the pictures of the demons. "Is that why you showed me _Constantine_? Because they're demons?"

Magnus's eyes widened. "Yes! See? And Camille thought my methods were stupid!"

"Well, actually, I had to get Camille to tell me what they were."

He glared at me. "Way to burst my bubble, Clary. You could at least lie."

I gasped dramatically. "Oh my God! Magnus you're a genius! You showed me _Constantine_ because I could see demons just like he could!"

Magnus smiled. "Now, that's what I'm talkin' about!" He held up his hand for a high five and I smacked it so hard it stung.

"So, you finally found out what they were, huh?"

I nodded. I turned the pages and showed him the cup the sword and the mirror. "Have you ever seen these before? I dreamt about them and then I found a painting that had the sword. An angel was holding it."

Magnus smiled but stayed silent.

"You know what I'm talking about?"

"I'm sorry, Clary, I can't tell you."

I glared at him like I would glare at Camille. "Who the hell is restricting you from telling me anyway? I seriously don't understand."

Magnus sighed. "You're parents. They made Camille and I swear not to say anything."

I couldn't speak. I only stared at him.

"Clary?"

I swallowed and tried to speak but it cracked. "My _parents?_ They know? Everything?"

Magnus nodded. "I know. It's a lot to take in. But Clary, you know I would tell you in a heartbeat if I could."

"You can!" I argued.

"You have no idea how much more complicated it is."

I stood up and walked toward the door.

"Clary, wait!"

I kept walking but then Chairman Meow pounced in front of me and hissed.

I looked back at in confusion.

"Sit down. Please."

I crossed my arms. "Why?"

Magnus sighed and stood up. "Alright. It's time I told you what I am."

My eyes widened. "You're not a vampire too, are you?"

He smiled. "No, but I _am_ a Downworlder."

"A what?"

"A Downworlder. Like vampires, fairies, werewolves."

I tried not to jump. "Which one are you?"

"I'm a Warlock. And not just any Warlock. I'm the High Warlock of Brooklyn."

I kept my arms crossed.

"That's why you can't remember anything from when your childhood."

My eyes widened.

"I put a block in your mind. You had the Sight and your mom didn't want you know anything. So she asked me to do it."

"It wasn't a dream? That really did happened."

This time Magnus jumped. "You remembered?"

I sat back down on the couch and went through my sketchbook. I showed him the symbol I saw while talking to Camille. "I saw this one night and then I had a dream and I saw you with fire and…whatever, it doesn't matter. It was really weird though."

Magnus looked at it as if he were holding his breath and about to explode. "Ok! You know what? I'm gonna give you a little hint."

"Magnus, please just tell me."

"I can't, Clary. It's a spell. I can't say anything about what you-" he stopped himself. "But I _can_ tell you what these are." He pointed to the symbols.

"What are they?"

He turned the page so we were looking at the second symbol I drew. The one Luke had drawn on me. "All of these weird looking symbols are called runes."

"Runes? Like forbidden writings?"

"Uh-huh. Except for you, they're not forbidden. This one is called an _iratz_ rune. It's made for healing. It's not permanent though."

"Runes can be permanent?" I asked.

"Yep. There are lots of them. It would take a very long time to teach them all to you. But this one," he turned the page to the first one I drew, "is called the _Mnemosyne_ rune. But most people call it the Memory rune because it's a lot easier to pronounce. This one is permanent."

"If I draw it on me, will I remember?"

Magnus nodded. "Yes. But Clary, there's still a lot you don't understand. I'll let you be the judge of when you think you should draw it. But please, only draw it when you think you're ready."

I nodded. "And I have one more question."

"Yes?"

I pulled out my pen. "What is this called?"

"A stele."

"Ok." I wrapped my arms around his waist. "Thanks, Magnus."

"Of course. I'm always here if you need me. You're coming back on Friday, right?"

I laughed. "Sure, if you really want me to. I mean, I don't really see the point now."

"Well, for your mother's benefit," he said. "We don't want her to know about all of the information you've found, do we?"

I rolled my eyes. "No, I guess not."

"We should go out."

I laughed. "Where?"

"Bowling maybe?"

"I'm a terrible bowler."

"I've got a few tricks up my sleeve. C'mon, let's take you home."

"Ok, thanks." I walked to the door but Magnus called me back.

"Where are you going?"

I lifted a brow. "To your car."

He put his hands on his hips. "Did we just establish that I'm a _Warlock?_"

"Should I be afraid?"

Magnus chuckled. "Follow me."

Hesitantly, I trailed behind him up the stairs and into a room that I assumed was his. Hair spray cans littered the desk along with two blow-dryers, mousse, hair gel, hair dye, everything.

What caught my eye though was his king sized bed that had a rainbow canopy.

"Come, now."

I stood next to him in front of the mirror. And we stood there for a moment or two. After a while, I turned to look at him. "What are we doing?"

"Shh," he said.

I turned back around and continued to look at my reflection.

Finally, the image in the mirror began to shimmer as if we were looking at ourselves in the water. And then it turned into something you might see in a cartoon. It changed from blue to purple and purple to yellow, successfully making all the colors of the rainbow.

"What's that?" I asked.

"A portal."

"And you expect me to go _inside_ that?"

"You'll be fine, I promise. You just have to follow my instructions exactly. If you don't well, nothing too terrible. Blindness, a broken bone or two. Nothing too dangerous."

I swallowed. "Yeah. Nothing dangerous."

"Close your eyes."

I did.

"Now, imagine where you want to go. And make sure to get the specific details, even if it comes down to a crack in the ground."

I thought about the blue paint that was chipping off on Simon's front door. I pictured the place mat so muddy, you couldn't even see the word _Welcome_ anymore. I saw the funky doorknob that sometimes didn't like to unlock the door for you and I pictured the uneven steps on the porch.

"It looks like you've got it," Magnus said. "But don't open your eyes. Just keep picturing it."

"Ok, I think I'm ready," I said.

"All right. Now step forward."

I did.

"Just follow my voice. Here we go. Now keep your knees bent!"

I felt myself falling. Snapping my eyes open, I saw Magnus in front of me acting as if he did this every day. He probably did.

"Magnus!" I was beginning to panic. We were in a never-ending spiral of colors I couldn't make out.

"Relax, Clary. You're fine. I'm right here."

Finally, I saw an end. I saw Simon's house.

"And we're gonna land in three…two…one!"

Magnus landed gracefully onto the porch but I fell onto my knees and ended up scraping my hands. Magnus helped me up. "You ok?"

I brushed myself off. "Yeah, I'm ok. Thanks."

"No, problem. See you Friday. Bowling right?"

I nodded. "Bye, Magnus."

He stepped through the portal and disappeared into thin air.

Opening the door, I put the key back under the mat and stepped inside.

"Did you have fun?"

Ms. Lewis sat at the table with coffee in her hands.

I smiled. "Yeah, I think I did." And then I went upstairs to the guest room and fell asleep.

**Well? What'd you guys think? Good? Bad? Somewhere in between? Let me know! Reviews make me happy! The next chapter will be up in a few hours so stay on your toes!**

**Review plz!**

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	11. Chapter 11

**OMG I AM SUCH A BITCH! I totally forgot to update the second chapter yesterday! Ugh i'm so retarded! lol I swear, this was an accident and I will never go against my word again :( anyway here's chapter 11**

Right before dinner the next day, I got a text from Jace.

_I found some vital info. Come as soon as possible._

I replied to him, saying I would be on my way after we all ate.

So, at dinner, I made up some story about my parents calling me and asking to talk to me. Of course, Ms. Lewis bought it. She told me it was good I was talking to them and was willing to let me leave without a hitch. It was Simon I was worried about.

He didn't _exactly_ know how dangerous things were but he had a taste. And he knew how angry I was with Jocelyn and Luke. I would never go back to them so easily.

So when I was about to leave, Simon followed me outside and closed the door so his mother couldn't hear us.

"Are you ok?" he asked.

I nodded.

"It just doesn't seem like you. I mean, after what happened with you and Luke…aren't you scared?"

I bit my lip as I tried to think of a way to explain it to him. "It's complicated, Si. But, you're right. I was scared of Luke for a while. But then again, he's my step-dad."

Simon's eyes widened. "_So?_ That doesn't give him the right to hurt you!"

I shook my head. "No, Simon. He was helping me."

"What?"

"It's confusing, I know. I want to tell you more but even _I'm_ still trying to figure things out."

"We could figure them out together."

I smiled and pulled him into a hug. "Just wait for me here. I won't be long, I promise. Hey, guess what?"

"What?"

"My friend and I are going bowling tomorrow. You wanna come with us?"

Simon smiled. "You're a terrible bowler."

"I know."

He laughed. "Ok, I'll go. But only to kick your ass."

I shoved him playfully. "I'll be back."

Simon walked back inside and I was able to breathe easy again.

When I got to Jace's house, I rang the doorbell. I was expecting to see Jace at the door but instead of him, I saw his mother.

"Hi, is Jace home?" I asked.

"Yes, he's here. He's up in his room. Come in."

I stepped inside.

"I'm Maryse," she said, "Jace's mother."

"I'm Clary."

The two of us stood there for a while, not really saying anything. And then, Jace came down the stairs.

"Hey, Clary."

I relieved to leave his mother. "Hey."

"C'mon, let's go upstairs."

"Leave the door open, Jace," Maryse called from down the steps.

"Yes, Mom."

I followed him into his room and we sat down on his bed.

Jace pulled out his laptop and a notebook. "Ok. So, I did some research on that painting I showed you a while ago."

"I remember."

"You know the angel that was holding the sword?" I nodded. "His name _is_ Raziel. His name means the 'secrets of God'."

"Secrets of God?" I repeated.

Jace nodded. "I think it was the Jewish who said that Raziel's thrown was so close to God's, he could hear everything that went on in Heaven. And it's said that he wrote a book called _Sefer Raziel HaMalach._ It means the Book of Raziel the Angel."

"And let me guess, the book holds all of the secrets."

"Right on the mark. It says it explains all celestial and earthly knowledge. That's why they call him the angel in charge of wisdom."

"Did he just keep the book to himself?"

"No. He gave it to Adam and Eve. But some of the angels were upset with that. They didn't think it was fair that those two knew everything. So, they cast the book into the ocean. But, when it came to shore, the prophet Enoch found it, read it and added in his own beliefs."

I sighed. "You don't really think that's a real book though, do you?"

Jace shrugged. "I don't know. I hope it is. We need it."

"Even if it is, imagine how old it is. It's probably in a different language."

His shoulders slumped and he ran a hand tiredly through his hair.

"Did you find anything about the painting itself?"

Jace shook his head. "No. I asked my Mom but she didn't tell me anything that we don't already know. What about you? Have you had any weird dreams?"

I smiled as I thought about all of the stuff Magnus told me. "Well, I went to go see my therapist yesterday and as it turns out, he knows a lot more than I thought."

"See? Didn't I say that?"

I punched his shoulder. "Showoff."

He laughed.

I showed him the two symbols. "Remember? We were playing with the pens and we lit a paper on fire?"

"How could I not?"

I took his pen. "Well I found out what they're called. This is a stele. And these symbols are called runes. We're the only ones who can draw them."

"What are they for?" Jace asked.

"Different runes are for different things. The one we drew on the paper that one day is called a Memory Rune." I flipped the page in my sketch book the second rune. "This one is called an _iratz_. It's for healing."

Jace flipped back to the Memory rune. "Why don't we just use this! Then we'll know everything!"

"No."

"What? Clary, we have to! We could die!"

Jace was usually so calm. At least he was around me. So hear him yell was surprising. "Jace, we can't! At least not yet. Don't you wanna know what kind of shit we're dealing with before we jump into the fire?"

Groaning, he fell onto the bed so he was facing the ceiling.

I lay back next to him.

"This is ridiculous," he said. "We've barely figured out anything. We don't even know what these things are _called_."

"Demons."

He whipped his head toward me. "What?"

"They're demons. And there's also vampires, werewolves, fairies and warlocks."

"And you're just now telling me this?"

"I just found out, Jace. I know it doesn't feel like we don't have much, but we do. We're so close!"

Jace sighed. "How'd you find all this out?"

"My therapist. He's the High Warlock of Brooklyn. He and his friend Camille have been helping me _a lot_."

"Is Camille the High Warlock of Queens?"

I laughed. "No. She's a vampire. And technically, she wouldn't be a warlock, she'd be a witch."

He shook his head incredulously. "You're hanging around vampires too? Isn't that scary?"

I thought about the night I found the group of vampires at the Pandemonium. "Yeah, they're pretty scary. But I know I can trust Camille."

"How?"

"She's been watching over me since I was a baby. She saved my life more than once."

Jace looked at me and smiled.

"What?"

"I guess you can't help but trust her. I remember when you saved mine at the community center."

I tried to think back but I had no idea what he was talking about.

"Oh, c'mon! You remember," he laughed.

"I really don't."

"We were sitting next to each other and then my therapist came out to meet me and you stopped me from going because you knew he was a demon."

"Oh, that? I was just as scared as you were."

"So? You still saved me. And then you helped me get away from those guys at the bar. To be honest, I was a little peeved."

I sat up and narrowed my eyes. "Excuse me?"

Jace laughed. "Honestly, you were killing my manly pride. You know how embarrassing it is to be saved by a girl?"

"Well, I didn't have to save you at all!"

Jace was still laughing. I wanted to stay angry with him but his laughs were contagious. Soon, I was giggling too. "You are such an ass."

He sat up and grabbed his laptop. "C'mon, let's see if we can find more runes."

Jace's eyes were a bright gold. They still seemed unnatural to me but whenever you looked into them, you couldn't look away. They captivated you. And his bright blonde hair only made them stick out.

My eyes roamed over him and stopped when they found the bottom of his shirt. It had risen a little and I caught sight of his abs. I never pictured Jace as a buff guy but as I looked at him now, he was much more brawn than I thought.

"What?"

Jace's voice brought me back to reality. "Huh?"

"You were staring at me."

I could feel myself blush. I just hope Jace couldn't see it. "No, I wasn't."

"Yes, you were."

"I wasn't."

Jace smirked but let it go.

We tried to find more runes and where they came from but every site said something different. One said it was an ancient Germanic alphabet, one said the Romans and Greeks used them for magic and Wikipedia said they originated from Elder Futhark.

"Well, it was worth a shot."

Jace turned off his laptop and put it back into its case. "It's almost nine. When do you have to leave?"

Sighing, I said. "I should go now. I don't want to stay out too late and have everyone worrying."

Jace nodded and stood up. "Ok. I'll walk you out."

We walked slowly out of his room and down the steps. When we reached the door, Jace randomly pulled me into a hug. I hugged him back.

"Thanks for coming," he said.

"Thanks for having me."

He chuckled. "That's what she said."

I laughed into his shoulder.

We stayed like that, him holding me against his chest and playing with my hair for a while. I hoped his mother wasn't watching.

Reluctantly, I pulled myself from his grasp. "I should get going."

"Ok. I'll see you soon, right?"

I nodded. And then I left.

I had barely started walking when I began to regret the fact that I didn't bring my iPod.

And as the thought popped in my head, I took it back. I was glad I didn't bring it. I got that tingling feeling that told me I was being followed.

I felt my muscles tense but I tried to act like I didn't know.

You'd think that by this time, I'd figure out how to defend for myself. Nope. That'd be next on my To Do List.

A hand slapped my shoulder. You'd think that I'd whip around and throw a punch or something. But I did neither. The only thing I did was screech which proved how pitiful I was.

Jace stepped in front of me as he laughed. "It's just me."

I shoved him but it did nothing. "You asshole!"

He tried to say something but I couldn't understand him through all of his guffaws.

I sidestepped him and kept walking.

"Wait, Clary!"

"What?"

He matched my pace so we were walking side by side. "Are you mad at me?"

"A little."

"I said I was sorry."

I rolled my eyes. "What are you doing out here anyway?"

"Walking you home."

I looked at him but it was so dark, I could only see his outline. "Who's gonna walk _you_ home?"

"I think I'll manage."

"Whatever."

As we walked, Jace kept inching himself closer to me making our hands brush. Every time he did, I would step further away. I was still mad at him for scaring me.

But he kept getting closer, and I kept sidestepping until I ran out of sidewalk to sidestep so I ended up tripping. Jace tried to catch me but since it was so dark, he missed me by a whole foot. So, I had to regain my balance against the car that was parked. And I ended up setting the alarm off.

"Shit!"

Jace fell to his knees and began to howl. But I forced him back up as someone opened their door and we ran like there was no tomorrow.

"Fuck off, ya little turds!" someone yelled.

We didn't stop running until we turned the corner.

It only took one look before we were cracking up.

"You should've seen your face!" Jace laughed.

I pushed him, trying to get him to fall off the sidewalk but it was no good.

"Are you done being mad now?" he asked.

I smiled. "Yeah. But you're still an asshole."

"Naturally."

When Jace brushed his hand against mine again, instead of moving away, I held his hand. He squeezed it gently.

I looked up at him but he was looking forward. I turned my head and kept walking.

When we reached Simon's house, I pulled my hand free so I could unlock the door.

"This is your house?" Jace asked.

"Actually, it's my friend's house."

He lifted a brow. "You have a key to your friend's house?"

"I'm staying with him for a while."

"Can I ask why?"

I shrugged. "Got some problems at home so…he let me stay here."

Jace nodded. "Oh. That's nice."

"Yeah, he's cool."

"Will I see you tomorrow?"

I shook my head. "I'm going bowling."

"Bowling?" He laughed. "Have fun with that."

I gave him the middle finger playfully and then went inside.

In the morning, I got a text from Jocelyn. For a moment, I thought about not reading it at all, but I did anyway.

_I know you're upset but don't skip therapy_ it said.

I rolled my eyes. If Magnus were a real therapist, I would skip just to piss the hell out of her. But since it was Magnus and we were going bowling, I wasn't going to pass it up.

Simon and I had cereal for breakfast and we ate at the table.

"So, when are we going bowling?" Simon asked.

"Around eight. Is that cool with you?"

"Yeah. Is it ok if I bring Maia too?"

I tried not let my annoyance show. "Sure. I'll just let Magnus know."

"Who?"

"My friend. Magnus."

"Oh. Weird name."

I chuckled as I took another spoonful of my cereal.

Simon shoveled the rest of his breakfast down his throat so he could call Maia. It was barely nine o'clock. I wondered if she was even awake.

I waited until noon to text Magnus, asking if I could bring two friends with us.

_The more the merrier!_ he replied.

Simon and I played his video game until it was time to get ready. Magnus sent me a text saying that he'd meet us at the bowling rink. If it was just him and me, we would've taken the portal. But since Maia and Simon were tagging along, we couldn't exactly do that.

Ms. Lewis gave us some money for the subway. And then we were on our way to Maia's house.

As we walked, I wished I'd invited Jace instead of Simon. I know how that sounds and I promise, I don't mean it that way…well, maybe I do.

Everything was different with Jace. Usually, when I walked home, I was afraid that something would pop out of the shadows trying to kill me. But last night with Jace was the complete opposite. We had the best time walking home. You don't see anyone have that much fun except in comedy movies.

Simon tried to start a conversation but his questions and my two-word answers weren't getting us anywhere.

Finally, we got to Maia's house. Simon didn't get the chance to ring the doorbell before Maia stepped out.

"Hey, guys!" she greeted. "Is anyone else coming bowling or is it just us?"

"Magnus said he'd meet us there," I said.

She stopped. "Magnus Bane?"

"You know him?"

She smiled. "Hell yeah, I know him!"

"I feel so left out," Simon said behind us.

Maia laughed. "Don't worry. Magnus is super-awesome. You'll love him."

"Ok. Whatever you say."

On the subway, Maia told us about the funny times she and Magnus shared. There was the one where she went to the party that he threw for Chairman Meow (I know, how ridiculous is that?). Magnus met an attractive young man. They danced for a while but when Magnus leaned in to kiss him, the man's toupee fell off.

I had tears running down my face when Maia said that. And then she tried to imitate Magnus to show us how terribly smooth he was when he showed him the door.

There were tons more but if it would take me forever to tell them all.

"This Magnus dude sounds weird," Simon said next to me.

"That's only because you don't know him," I said.

Maia smiled to me and nodded in agreement.

I know I said that I wasn't a big fan of Maia before. Now I was joking with her like we've been best friends all along. But the whole thing confused me. When I first met her at the café, I knew something was off about her. I could tell that she wasn't human. Camille even told me that! I knew she wasn't a demon. She couldn't be a vampire because I've seen her walk in broad daylight.

But since I was beginning to learn more about the world I'm living in, I thought it doesn't matter what Maia was. She was my friend.

When the train stopped, we got off and raced to the bowling rink. We looked around for Magnus but we couldn't find him anywhere.

"Maybe he's already inside," Simon said.

We walked in and there he was. I thought he'd be waiting patiently for us but we walked in to see him hovering over some kid with a weird looking smirk.

The boy looked about his age with black hair and blue eyes. He was smiling at Magnus.

Maia was pursing her lips to keep from laughing and I just watched with a sort of amused expression.

"Do, I really have to watch this?" Simon asked.

I laughed as Maia groaned. We gave him some money and ordered him away to rent out bowling shoes.

Magnus looked up and saw us watching him. He whispered something into the boy's ear and he nodded before walking away.

Magnus walked over to us waving a small piece of paper that had numbers on it. I guessed that was the boy's phone number. "Look what I got!" he sang.

"Make sure there're real and not bogus," Maia said with a chuckle.

Magnus laughed and ruffled her curly hair playfully. "Maia, sarcastic as usual." Then he looked over to me and his smile faded. "_What_ are you wearing?"

I glanced down at my plaid shirt and jeans. "Clothes?"

He frowned.

"Oh, leave her alone, Magnus," Maia laughed. "She looks fine."

Magnus unbuttoned my shirt revealing my white camisole. "Much better. Less formal."

I rolled my eyes

Simon came back with our shoes then. "Hey, you're Magnus, right? I'm Simon."

"Yes, I see. You're the young man who claims to have musical talent?"

Maia and I tried to stifle our laughter.

Simon's face was flushed and his eyes were narrowed.

"C'mon, let's go claim our lane," Maia said.

I stayed back so I could walk next to Magnus. "How did you know he was in a band?"

"I heard him play at the Pandemonium one night." He shook his head. "It was absolutely awful."

I laughed.

Simon and Maia were a team so that left Magnus and me.

"Alright," Magnus said as he rubbed his hands together. "Who wants to go first?"

When no one responded, I rolled my eyes and grabbed a nickel from my wallet. I looked at Maia. "Heads or tales?"

"Heads."

I flipped the coin and it landed on heads. "You go first."

Maia stood and grabbed the ball and rolled it down the aisle. It knocked down all of them except to two back corners. What were they called? Bedposts?

She took another ball and went for the one on the right. I almost thought the ball would go down the gutter but it didn't. She got the pin.

"You're turn," she said as she looked at me.

Simon began to chuckle but when I glared at him, he shut up.

I picked up a ball but it slipped from my fingers almost landing on my foot.

Simon went into hysterics.

Ignoring him, I picked it up again and pitifully tried to roll the ball.

It headed slowly toward the gutter but then it changed direction and picked up speed right down the middle and knocked down all the pins.

"A strike?" Simon cried. "How? You suck at bowling!"

I could only shrug. I was just as confused as Simon was. When I sat down, I whispered to Magnus, "Did you do that?"

He smiled. "I told you I had a few tricks up my sleeve."

It was obvious that Simon and Maia won. Maia had gotten a strike on almost every single one. And Simon was pretty damn good too.

Of course if we were going to go by what was written on paper, Magnus and I won. But we cheated. I had a warlock on my team.

As we switched shoes, Magnus tapped my shoulder.

"Yeah?"

"Keep Simon busy. I'm gonna send Maia home in the portal."

I nodded. "Ok."

Magnus and Maia snuck outside while Simon was returning his shoes.

"Hey, Si," I called before he could turn around. "You want a soda?"

"Sure."

We walked over to the vending machine and shoved our dollars into the slot.

Simon had to sing the "Eenie Meenie Mini Moe" thing over grape and orange.

I rolled my eyes. He was such a child. But it gave Magnus and Maia enough time to get back inside.

Finally, Simon chose the orange and we walked back to the two of them.

"Simon, I'm gonna go," Maia said.

"You're not walking with us?" he asked.

"Nah."

"Why?" he asked.

I bit my lip nervously.

Maia looked outside. "Superstition I guess. I'll see you later, ok?"

"Ok."

She left.

I looked at Magnus. "Superstition?"

"Full moon," he whispered.

"_A Downworlder. Like vampires, fairies, werewolves."_ Magnus had said.

I swallowed and prayed that it was _just_ a superstition and nothing more.

**Again, sorry about the late update. I hoped you guys liked it anyway. Now, I'm not sure when chapter 12 will be up. I have to study because my midterms are coming up soooooo I'm not sure if I'll have time to write. But I'll try my hardest to get it up this weekend. If it's not up by Saturday then you can expect it by the next Saturday.**

**Review plz!**

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	12. Chapter 12

**Hey guys! I managed to get this chapter up on time! YAY! Lol well, I actually thought this chapter was kind of interesting but I'm the author so I can't really say. I hope you like it!**

Magnus walked us home that night. I tried to make it seem like everything was fine and dandy. I didn't want Simon to know that I was freaking my shit out. Magnus already knew what was wrong. He tried not to let the spotlight shine on me for very long. And his best was deeply appreciated.

Maia had left quickly. When I asked Magnus for an explanation, all he said was "Full moon." But what did that mean? Was it a superstitious thing like she said? Or was it something else? Magnus did mention other supernatural creatures the other night.

But Maia could never be a werewolf. She didn't have the temper for it. Although, for arguments sake, let's say she was. It would explain the glowing eyes and the sharp canines.

Finally, we were back to Simon's place and I allowed myself to forget about every single thought. Simon and I stepped inside after wishing Magnus a good night.

"Can I just say," Simon started, "that you're making some really weird friends?"

"Well, it's not like Maia's completely normal." The minute I said it, I wished I hadn't. It only brought back more crazy thoughts. "I mean, c'mon! She left because of a full moon. You have to admit, that's pretty odd."

"Don't talk about my girl like that," he said defensively.

"You're girl?" I repeated as I started up the steps. "Do you mind if I call and tell her the new nickname you have for her?"

"No! Clary don't!"

I rolled my eyes. "I was only kidding."

"You better be."

Simon asked if I wanted to play video games. I said yes in hope of a distraction. Though, it didn't help when Simon and I had to fight a pack of rabid wolves.

There were others too. Like vampires and zombies. But once the wizards came into play, I excused myself to bed.

I had just gotten into my pajamas when I phone was. After looking at who it was, I almost didn't pick up. But I knew I had to.

"Hello?"

"Clary, it's me."

"What do you want, Luke," I said with a sigh.

"To talk," Luke said. "Meet me at the apartment tomorrow."

"No."

"What?" He sounded surprised. "Clary, it's important."

"I don't care!" I yelled. I knew I was waffling back and forth with him, trying to decide if I trusted him. And I've finally come down to an answer. I trusted him. But I was pissed. He knew all this time what was happening and didn't even tell me!

Luke sighed. "I know you're upset but please, just come see me."

Was he begging?

"I'll explain some things to you."

I was about to reply with some snide remark but then my phone made a beeping noise, telling me that someone was calling on the other line.

I hung up on Luke and answered it with a smile. "Hey, Jace."

"Hey. Sorry, I'm calling so late."

He really wasn't. I could practically hear the smile in his voice. "It's ok. What's up?"

"I just wanted to ask if you had any plans tomorrow night."

I could feel the goose bumps riding up my arms and making my cheeks flush. The thought about being with Jace again sent a strong flash of exhilaration though me. I was practically vibrating. "I don't think so, why?"

"Did you want to see a movie with me?"

Was he asking me out on a date? What was I supposed to say? Of course I wanted to go! But girls on TV always play hard to get. Was that what I was supposed to do? God, I'm pathetic.

"Clary?" Jace's voice echoed through my head. "Are you still there? Hello?"

"Huh?" I said momentarily forgetting how to speak English. "Yes, I'm here. Sorry."

"Did you hear me before?" he asked.

I swallowed, trying to keep my throat from going completely dry. "No, my phone's acting up," I lied.

"Do you wanna go out with me tomorrow? To see a movie?"

Well that answered my question. "L-like a…date?"

It took Jace a couple of seconds to respond. "Um, yeah. Is that ok? If it's not, I under-"

"No, that's great! I'd love to go!" That probably sounded way to eager but I couldn't help it. Anyone would be excited to go out with a boy that looked like Alex Pettyfer's blood relative. "What movie should we see?"

"I dunno. What movie do you want to see?"

"It doesn't matter to me."

Jace groaned. "Clary, just pick. I don't want to take you to a movie you don't want to see."

"I don't want to do that to you either!" I laughed.

"Alright, whatever. We'll figure it out. Why don't you come over for dinner and we'll look at the times."

"Ok, sounds like a plan. I'll see you tomorrow, then."

"Goodnight, Clary."

My cheeks warmed a wave of fresh goose bumps came back up my arms. "Goodnight, Jace."

I crawled into bed with a smile. It was hard to fall asleep that night. I was jittering with energy. So, I turned on my iPod and fell asleep to the words of a love song.

I didn't wake up until noon the next morning. I must've stayed up pretty late last night.

I didn't want to get up from my bed. It reminded me of when I had turned thirteen. Mom took me to a nail salon for my birthday, nowhere near downtown. It was probably the finest one you'd find in New York. Now, I wasn't a huge girly-girl. But once I saw that sparkly gold paint on my nails, I felt different. I felt like a normal person. I felt like a teenager. And I kind of expected the feeling to wear off in the morning. But when I woke up, the paint was still there. My excitement was too.

I smiled as I thought about it. Best week of my life. It could've been the best year but then the "hallucinations" kicked in again and everything was dreary. But besides that, everything was great.

Yesterday, started out pretty cool and ended with a bang. There was a little turbulence in between but other than that it was nice. Especially my conversation with Jace.

We were going on a date. A real date.

The word brought a huge smile to my face. I rolled over and began to giggle hysterically into my pillow. If only Jessica Steinhart from middle school were here! I could tell her that I wasn't a complete loser after all!

I pictured myself standing in front of her with her dyed blonde hair and fake nose. "Ha! My tall blonde sexy boy totally beats your mysterious Latino!"

I got up from my comfortable spot on the bed and pulled out a tank top and basketball shorts from my bag. I would take a quick shower, get dressed, see Luke and change into something better for Jace when I came back.

It wasn't until I had stepped under the spray of water when I realized I had been singing. Something I don't do. Ever. Especially around people.

I rolled my eyes at myself. Jace was turning me into a love-sick poodle.

I didn't bother drying my hair when I got out of the shower. I just threw it up into a messy bun.

I made some toast with a few crackers and orange juice. It was twelve thirty. Luke would've been up for a few hours now.

I grabbed my phone and my keys and then trotted down the steps to see Simon sitting on the counter wait for something in the microwave. "Heading somewhere?"

I nodded. "I'm going to see Luke. He called last night and asked me to come."

He hopped off the counter and slipped but tried to play it off by crossing his arms. "You gonna be ok?"

I smirked at his attempt to look attractive. "I'll be alright. I won't be gone long. I've got plans tonight."

"With Carmen or Magenta?"

I shook my head in shame. "Camille or Magnus?" I corrected.

"You know what I meant."

I rolled my eyes. "Neither. I'm going out with my friend Jace."

"Who's Jace? Did you meet her at one of your therapy sessions or something?"

I blushed a little as I answered. "It's a _he_ and no. I met him at the Pandemonium Club. Well, technically at the Community Center but…" I stopped myself. "Whatever, it's a long story."

Simon raised an eyebrow. "Is that the kid who you exchanged numbers with the night we performed."

I tried to think back. "Uh, yeah."

Simon was silent. He just continued to stare at me with one eyebrow raised.

"What?"

More silence. Then, "Nothing." Then he took his rice upstairs with him and back in his room.

Shrugging it off, I walked back to my place. I felt awkward as I walked up the steps. Was this still considered my home? I had a key but would it be wrong to just waltz in or should I knock?

I fingered the key for what felt like a lifetime. But in the end, I decided it was too weird and shoved the key back into my pocket. I lifted my hand to knock and stopped when I heard a bang coming from inside.

Lowering my hand, I placed my ear against the door and listened.

"_When will you _ever_ decide to be an adult, Lucian?"_ Jocelyn's voice yelled.

"_Don't you dare blame this on me!"_ Luke fired back. _"This is your fault! You were the one who wanted to keep it all a secret!"_

There was another smash. It sounded like glass shattering. _"All I wanted to do was protect her!"_

"_I understand that, Jocelyn."_ Luke's voice had softened. I thought the worst was over but he only began to yell some more. _"But now look. She's nearly seventeen years old. She's all grown up and you're hiding this from her!"_

The crash that sounded after that made me jump. It was like I was listening in a movie theatre with surround sound. People were beginning to pop their heads out their rooms and look at me in confusion. I could only give them a fearful look.

Luke's voice sounded abnormally deeper as he hollered at Jocelyn. _"This isn't protection! You're putting her into danger!"_

"_Luke!"_

I could walk in. I had a key. I could stop it all right now. But I've never heard Luke sound that angry before. My hands began to shake. I could barely hang on to the key.

"Excuse me, Miss?"

I looked over to see a young girl with curly blonde hair pulled up into messy pigtails. "Hi," I said with a shaky voice.

"Should I call the emergency people on 911?"

I shook my head. "No. Everything's ok. Go back inside."

"Ok." She swiftly slid behind the door and closed the door lightly.

Swallowing my fears, I unlocked the door and stepped in trying to put on my best brave face. "What the hell is going on here?"

Jocelyn whipped around and looked relieved to see me. "Clary." She tried to pull me into a hug but I stepped away from her. She was hiding something from me. Luke had just said it.

I looked over at him and I temporarily lost my brave face. But I caught myself and put my eyebrows together again and pursed my lips.

Luke was staring at Jocelyn, eyes burning with anger. His jaw was clenched so hard, his face was shaking. In fact, his whole body was shaking like he was having some sort of muscle spasm.

"I've gotta get to work," Jocelyn said in a small voice. I had never heard her speak like that. She always had a fierceness to her. She didn't take any bullshit from anyone. One of the things that make her a great mother. But don't tell her I said that.

Luke didn't respond. Just continued to glare at her with those crazy eyes. His pupils were dilated and his skin was coated in sweat.

Jocelyn turned around hastily and slammed the door shut.

"What's she hiding from me?" I demanded.

Luke didn't answer. He lay his head down on his arms on the counter and took several deep breaths.

My scowl faded and my hands began to shake again. "Luke, what's wrong with you?"

"Just give me a second!" he bellowed.

I jumped at his hostility. I backed away from him until I bumped into the wall.

Suddenly, his head popped up. He turned around, then looked the other direction, like he was looking for something. "Maia!"

Maia? "Maia?" I spoke my thoughts.

"Shh. Maia, I'm in here!"

And then Maia came bursting through the door eyes gleaming for a second, like they were at dinner at Simon's. And then they faded into their normal brown. "Luke, I felt you. What happened, are you ok?"

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

She looked at me, then Luke and then back to me. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"This is my apartment!"

Luke stood up again. "Stop." The sweat was magically gone, his eyes had gone back to normal and he was no longer shaking. "I'm alright, Maia."

"Did you shift?"

I blinked. "Shift? Shift what? Why are we shifting?" All of this came out of my mouth so fast, I may have mispronounced shift and said "Shit."

They both ignored me and continued their conversation.

"No," Luke said. "But I almost did. Jocelyn and I got into a bit of a fight?"

"A bit?" Maia repeated incredulously. "Look at this place!"

That's when I noticed the huge mess. The dining room table was flipped over, two of the legs missing and the good china was lying in pieces on the floor.

"I asked Clary to come over so I could explain some things to her."

"Oh." Maia glanced nervously at me. "Do you want me to go?"

"No, stay! It'd make things easier."

Maia nodded. "Ok. C'mon, Clary." She guided me to the couch and Luke sat on the coffee table across from us.

"Alright." Luke sat for a minute in thought. "Why don't we start with what you know already. I know Magnus must've been teaching you something all this time."

Yeah, how to cheat bowling and all the classic movies.

I looked over to Maia and then back to Luke.

"It's ok, Clary. She's safe," he said.

I narrowed my eyes slightly. "What are you?"

"What am I?"

"The two of you!" I said gesturing towards Maia. "What are you? Are you werewolves?"

"So, I'm guessing he told you about the other supernatural creatures out there," Luke said as if it were the most normal thing.

"Hell yeah, he told me! He told me he was the Hight frickin' Mistress or something of Brooklyn but didn't bother to tell me what the hell I was!" I crossed my arms. "Oh, and by the way, thanks for warning me about Camille. A vampire? Seriously? If she didn't recognize me, she probably would've killed me!"

"Jeez Louise."

We looked at Maia.

"Gosh, Luke. I mean, I've heard of trying to protect Nephilim children but this is just wrong."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, coming from the werewolf herself!" I tried to mimick her voice, _"It's a superstitious thing."_

Maia looked sort of hurt and I could tell Luke was upset with me. I was kinda mad at me too. Maia was my friend and I had just insulted her.

"Wait," I said, the thought finally running through my head. "Nephilim? I'm a Nephilim? What's a Nephilim do? I'm not gonna sprout wings or grow a fish tail am I?"

Luke and Maia chuckled together. "No."

"Nephilim is one of the older terms," Maia explained. "Sometimes downworlders use it as an insult."

Downworlders. It sounded familiar. "Are you a downworlder?"

Maia nodded with a smile. "Yeah. Wow, you're farther along than I thought."

Luke smiled at me like he was proud. But I knew I wouldn't be anywhere without Magnus, Camille and Jace.

"The more modern name would be Shadowhunter. Although I prefer Nephilim. It explains what exactly what you are better than 'Shadowhunter'."

"What does Nephilim mean?"

"We're holy creatures," Luke explained. "The Bible mentions us more than once."

I suddenly felt like I was sucked into the Fallen Series by Lauren Kate. "Are we angels?"

Luke shrugged. "If you wanted to go by genetics, then yes, we are. We're descended from the angel Raziel. He created us with his Mortal Instruments."

"Every Nephilim has Raziel's blood running through their veins," Maia said. "The more blood you have, the more powerful you are."

"And that's why the runes are so useful," Luke said. "They enhance your ability. Like the healing rune I gave to you the other night."

I blushed at the thought. Even though, it was only a tissue box, I probably hurt him. I was about to apologize for it but he began to speak again.

"You know what runes are, right?"

I nodded. "Magnus told me. There are permanent ones and temporary ones. I just don't know them all."

Luke chuckled and patted my knee. "That's alright. There's plenty of time for lessons. How many do you know?"

"Two. The _iratz_ and the Memory Rune."

Luke leant back as far as he could on the table and sighed. "Yes, the Memory rune. Totally saved my ass when your mother and I were dating. I completely forgot about our anniversary and then-"

"Luke," Maia interrupted. "Save the stories, Clary doesn't have much time."

I looked at the time. It was only one-thirty. I had plenty of time before I had to get ready for Jace.

"Right. Thanks, Maia." He cleared his throat. "Ok, Clary, it's time to get down to business."

I lifted a brow at him but kept listening. I had no idea people still said that.

"There's someone after you."

"Yeah, I kind of figured that." I crossed my arms angrily. "I mean, demons? Really? How long did you plan on keeping that a secret from me?"

Luke sighed. "No, not the demons. There's a person. Two people actually. They're after you. They're watching you. And now that they know that _you_ know what you are, they're not going to hesitate to hurt you."

I froze. "What?"

"That's why Jocelyn and I tried so hard to things a secret. Of course I wanted to tell you once you turned thirteen but your mother was bound and determined to wait until you were older. But she just kept pushing it back further and further. I'm so sorry, Clary."

I rolled my eyes. I mean, I appreciated the apology but I wanted to know about the tard who was stalking me. "But, what about those two weirdos watching me?"

"We don't know who they are yet," Maia said. "Luke and I have been looking around for information but we haven't found anything. We even made a pact with the Lightwoods."

"Did you follow my orders, Maia?" Luke asked.

"Of course. The Lightwoods have been searching old book for the past week. But they're having some issues of their own. Something about a fling with Alec?"

Luke waved his hand. "Irrelevant."

"Sorry. But they said that they'd get back to us as soon as they find something. I think they're trying to get something out of the vampires. Should we check them out too? They might be more open with us."

"No. I don't feel like getting involved with vampires."

"What about Camille?" I suggested. "You think she'll know something?"

"Probably not," Luke said. "She's too busy protecting you."

"I haven't seen her in a while though. I think you should ask her."

Luke shrugged and looked over to Maia.

She sighed. "Fine. I'll go see her tonight."

"No, that's ok. I'll just get her to come here. I know how you feel about her."

"Thanks, Luke."

I cleared my throat. "So, about those guys."

They turned and looked at me.

"If I had a date tonight, it'd probably be best if I didn't go, right?"

"Right on the money."

I sighed inwardly. "Ok. Well, I'm gonna head back to Simon's." There was no way I was missing that date. I'd find a way to protect myself.

**And that's the end! I hoped you guys enjoyed it!**

**Midterms are starting next week and I'm pretty sure I'm gonna fail. But I would be so happy if I checked my email and found a whole bunch of reviews! Plz?**

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	13. Chapter 13

**Hey guys! I had loads of fun writing this chapter! Mostly because it took me a while to write and I think it's longer than usual but maybe not lol I don't know. But before I start, there's something I want to tell you guys. I've been getting some requests to write a chapter in Jace's POV. And I'm starting to think that I will. But here's the catch. I'll only post it if I get some votes on my poll! There's still time! Vote please!**

"Now, Clary," Luke said, placing his hands on my shoulders, "this is important. You're not safe outside anymore. I need you to stay here until Jocelyn and I figure things out."

My first thought was to wrench out of his grasp and storm out. But after Luke had finally been honest with me, I knew I had to return the favor by listening to his side of things.

"Why can't I stay at Simon's?" I asked patiently.

"Because they don't know what's going on. They can't protect you like we can."

"I can take care of myself." That was my automatic response. But I realized I couldn't just as Luke said it.

"No, you can't."

"Then teach me how." I was whining. God, I felt like a little kid.

Luke sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Even if he did," Maia answered for him, "it would take days which means you'd be staying here anyway."

"I'm not staying here with that bitch," I snapped.

"That bitch is your mother," Luke retorted.

"Who you almost attacked, _Werewolf_." I swallowed after the word slipped out of my mouth. Luke and Maia were werewolves. Downworlders as Magnus had called them.

I was being raised by a Shadowhunter and a Werewolf. This ought to be good.

"Magnus told you, didn't he?" Maia said with a small smirk.

"Essentially."

"You're staying here," Luke said putting us back on track.

Again, I paused, trying to think of a way that I could come to an agreement with Luke. I didn't like fighting with him. Especially now that I knew he wasn't human. Then again, neither was I.

I could tell Luke about Jace but I wasn't so sure Jace was ready to know. He wasn't the one those demons were after. It was me. And for all I know, they've seen me with him and now they know how to get my attention.

Sighing, I stood up. "I'm sorry, but I can't stay." I walked to the door but Maia caught up to me and put herself in front of it and looked at with absolute incredulity.

"Clary, c'mon. We're only trying to keep you safe."

"I know." But I have to protect someone too.

"If it's Jocelyn," Luke said from behind me, "we'll figure something out. I can talk to her and-"

"It's not her."

"Then what is it?"

I pressed my lips together into a thin line as I looked back from Luke to Maia. Finally, I pushed past her and walked out.

The sun was still out. For the most part, I was safe. Until it was dark. But I wasn't stupid. I assumed everyone was a threat. Maia and Luke said I was being watched. I know I was. I could feel it. I've always felt it.

Finally, I was back at Simon's. I opened the door, took a quick look around outside to make sure no one was there, then I closed it.

"You were gone for a while."

I turned around and saw Simon trotting down the steps. "Yeah." I looked at the time. It was quarter to four.

"Is everything ok?"

I nodded. "Yeah, everything's fine. We just talked." Nervously, I ran a hand through my hair and hoped Simon didn't pick up on it. "Well, I'm going upstairs, I'm tired." Shuffling past him, hurried up to the guest room and closed the door.

I sat down on the bed and tried to take a deep breath. Everything was ok. Jace and I were going on that date. We would be safe. I'd find a way.

I had just gotten my heart rate down reasonably when my phone rang. I answered thinking it was Jace. "Hello?"

"Clary? Are you ok?"

I blinked and checked the caller id and found that it wasn't Jace. "Magnus?"

"Yeah, it's me. What's going on?"

"Uh, nothing much. Why?"

Magnus was quiet for a while. "I don't know. Something just feels off to me."

I didn't say anything after that. I just sat there, trying to decide whether I should tell Jace or not. Honestly, it didn't seem like anything had changed. But everyone else could obviously tell.

"Did you use the Memory rune?" he asked carefully."

"No," I said. "But Luke told me everything."

"So, now they know."

I stood up, my heart beginning to race again. "Now _who_ knows? Magnus, you freaking me out, what's going on?"

"Valentine."

"Is he one of the guys following me?" I asked, panting slightly.

"Well, the Nephilim think so, but the Clave says we can't take him down with no evidence."

"The Clave?"

Magnus sighed. "You still have a lot left to learn. It's a long story, I'll tell you some other time."

I nodded and cleared my throat. "Magnus, am I safe?"

"Depends. Where are you?"

"Simon's."

Magnus made a grunting noise. "Then no. But if you really want to stay there, I say you should put some runes on."

Runes! I had completely forgot about them! "Which ones?"

"You don't know them. I'll have to show them to you."

I narrowed my eyes even though he couldn't see. "I think I can handle it, Magnus. Tell me what they're called."

"Actually, it's only one."

"Magnus!"

"Ok, ok! It's called the Deflect rune."

The rune popped into my head. I studied the lines for a few moments before I let it disappear. "Ok. Thanks, Magnus."

"Clary, what are you about to do?"

"Go out."

"Don't do anything stupid, ok?"

I rolled my eyes. "I'll try to keep it to a minimum."

"Thanks."

I hung up and then drew the rune in my sketchbook.

At five thirty, I had my hair curled, my teeth were brushed and I was wearing my denim dress and sandals.

I grabbed my stele and put it in my purse. I wasn't sure if it was permanent or temporary so I decided to draw it once Jace and I were about to leave. I didn't want it to lose its power at the worst possible moment.

When I went downstairs, I almost expected Simon to be there. He'd been acting so weird today. But instead of him, I saw Ms. Lewis.

"Oh, it's you."

She chuckled and put her book down. "We were you expecting someone else?"

I laughed. "No, I just thought you were Simon."

"Oh, he's out with his band. He said he got another gig somewhere."

"He did? Why didn't he tell me?"

She shrugged. "Maybe he forgot."

I nodded and walked to the door.

"Where are you off to? You look rather nice."

I smiled. "A date."

She smiled. "Ok. Have fun."

I left and ran to Jace's house, partly because I was afraid of being caught without any runes and partly because I couldn't wait any longer see him.

When I got to Jace's house, I rang the doorbell.

Jace answered a few seconds later and pulled me inside. He smiled and wrapped his arm around my shoulder. "Hey."

I swallowed and instantly forgot about all of my worries. "Hi."

"My mom is just finishing up in the kitchen."

I followed him to the kitchen.

"Mom, you remember, Clary, right?"

Maryse smiled. "Yes, I remember. It's nice to see you again, Clary."

"You too, Maryse."

"Why don't the two of you grab a seat at the table while I get the dinner on the table."

I sat down in one of the chairs and Jace helped his mother carry the dinner. Then he sat down next to me.

"So, you two are going to see a movie together?" Maryse asked.

I nodded as Jace said, "Yeah, we're hoping to. Clary refused to choose what movie to see so we have to go look at the times."

I glared at him. "Well, you didn't help the situation."

Jace crossed his arms. "Clary, it's tradition to let the girl pick."

"I didn't want you to be bored if you didn't like the movie."

He rolled his eyes. "God, you are so stubborn."

"Look who's talking."

Maryse giggled as she watched us bicker.

I smiled at Jace and elbowed him playfully.

Maryse seemed nice. But there were times when she began to lecture Jace about the things he didn't do that were supposed to be done. She was strict too. And it made me wonder what the reason was for not telling Jace about what he was. And that made me angry with her. But I tried to keep my cool throughout dinner.

When we were finished, Jace and I excused ourselves to his room so we could look at the movie times.

"Are you ok?" Jace asked as he turned on his laptop. "You seemed kind of quiet."

I nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Do you still wanna go tonight?"

I laughed at his serious face. "Jace, I'm fine, I promise."

"Ok, just making sure."

After a few more minutes of bickering, we decided on The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.

"So, we've got about fifteen minutes to waste," Jace said shutting his laptop off. "What should we do?"

I shrugged. "What do you want to do."

We ended up taking turns playing Temple Run on my iPod. And by quarter after seven, we were ready to leave.

"Oh, Jace."

He turned. "Yeah?"

I took out my stele. "Just to make sure that we're safe, can I put a rune on you?"

"Oh, smart thinking. Which one is it?" he asked.

"It's called a Deflect rune." When I was done drawing it on his arm, I watched as it shimmered gold and then dissolved into his skin.

I drew it on my arm and the two of us watched it again.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to that," Jace laughed.

I laughed. "C'mon, before we're late."

We said goodbye to Maryse, and then left.

We managed not to set any car alarms off as we turned the corner, thank God.

"So how are things going with your parents?" Jace asked.

"Well, things are still a little weird with my mom. But my step-dad and I have made amends."

"That's good."

"Oh, and you'll never believe this." I tried to laugh but it didn't come out right.

"What?"

"He's a werewolf."

Jace gave me a weird look. "Your step-dad?"

"Yep. I can honestly say I was raised by wolf."

"He's good, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah, he and his pack are on our side. They help us fight the demons."

"Good." He sighed. "Are there any other supernatural creatures I should know about?"

I thought for a minute. "I told you about the vampires, warlocks and downworlders, right?"

"They sound familiar, yeah."

"Then, no." That was a lie. There was one more supernatural creature I learned. Us.

"What about your Warlock/therapist. Did he tell you anything?"

"He checks up on me every now again. But no, not really. The only thing he told me today was the Deflect rune."

"Oh. I wish we could just hurry up and figure out what exactly is going on."

I swallowed and added a soft, "Yeah." I felt guilty for keeping this from him. I just wanted this night to be great.

The guy at the stand almost didn't let us in. And by us, I mean me. Jace was tall, muscled and looked like he shaved his chin every day. Me? I was short, flat-chested and my red hair made me look like a seven year old.

But with Jace's help, we got in. He got us a bucket of popcorn and then we went in to find some good seats.

Jace poked fun at me for looking too young during the previews but once the movie, I got him to shut the hell up.

I was entranced in the movie. I had read the books so I knew what was going on. But Jace was confused at some parts and I had to help explain.

But the funniest part was when they started shooting at Mikael. Jace jumped and ended up spilling the popcorn everywhere. I just died in my chair. The people around us glared at me for laughing so loud. I tried to be quiet but it was merely impossible.

When I got my giggles under control, I whispered in his ear, "Are you sure you're not too young for this movie?"

"Fuck you," he whispered back to me.

Smiling, I turned my eyes back to the movie.

After the movie ended, Jace complained on the way out about how the ending sucked.

"Seriously, what kind of ending was that? The girl has to get the guy!"

I laughed. "You have to wait for the next one. Or you could just read the book."

"Maybe I will."

"See? The ending can't be so bad if it's got you hooked."

We had only been walking for a few seconds when my arm started to burn. "Ouch."

"What's wrong?"

The Deflect rune was glowing on my arm.

"Why is it doing that?" Jace asked.

"I don't know."

"Clary, watch out!"

I didn't need Jace's warning. I had dodged the demon's blow. I'm not sure how. I think the Deflect rune was guiding my moves.

"Run!"

Jace grabbed my wrist and we broke out in a sprint. His rune was glowing too. He twisted into a different direction when the demon lunged for him. And along the way, I had did one of those dive-n-rolls that you only see Laura Croft do.

When Jace's house was in sight, I could see Maryse at the door, yelling at us to hurry up. We got inside and she expertly swung her sword around until the demons turned into a puddle of black blood.

"Take Clary to your room and close the door!" Maryse yelled.

"What about you?" Jace asked in a panic.

"I'll be fine! Just go!"

Jace grabbed my wrist again and took me to his room and closed the door. The burning in my arm stopped which helped me relax a little.

We sat down on the bed.

I swallowed and decided it was time to tell him. "Jace?"

"Yeah?" He was scared. But I could tell he was trying to hold himself together.

I bit my lip as I tried to gather up the courage. But then Maryse walked in.

"They're gone for now." She sat down next to me and opened her mouth to say something but Jace interrupted her.

"Wait, Mom. She's trying to tell me something."

"Is it that important?" she asked almost annoyed.

I looked at her and I guess she could tell that I knew everything.

"Go ahead."

I faced Jace. "Promise me you won't get mad."

Jace crossed his arms and furrowed his brows together. "I'll try."

I sighed. "I lied to you."

His eyes widened, and then they glowed and ugly golden brown. He was pissed. "About what?"

"On the way to the movies, you asked if I learned about any other supernatural creatures. And I did."

His eyes lightened up slightly. "Well, that's not that big of a deal."

"Actually, it is. I know what we are."

His angry face returned. "How long have you known? Were you planning on keeping it a secret from me the whole time?" He looked up at his mother. "And you! You must've known too! The way you took those demons out!"

Maryse didn't say anything to my disappointment. I thought she would take the wheel from there, but no. She was going to make me tell him.

"I've only known for a couple hours. And I know I should've told you from the start but I didn't want to ruin our night!"

"Don't you think that this is more important than some stupid date?" he yelled. "What the hell, Clary?"

A stupid date. He thought this was a stupid date. "I'm leaving." I stood up and marched towards the door but Jace stepped into my path.

"So, what? You're just gonna lie to me and never tell me the truth?"

I glared at him. "Figure it out yourself, you dick! I'm not telling you shit anymore!" I moved to step around him but he grabbed my wrist, harder than before and threw me down onto the bed.

"Ok, Jace. You're going too far," Maryse warned.

"Fuck you!" he screamed. "You lied to me too! Eighteen years and you made me believe I was schitzo!"

I had to admit, he was right about Maryse. But for some reason, I got so mad, I stood up and slapped him in the face so hard, there was a welt in the shape of my finger on his temple.

I easily walked past him, down the stairs and had my hand on the doorknob when Jace spun me around.

"Wait, Clary."

Looking at him, his eyes were golden again. "I'm sorry."

I crossed my arms and tried to glare at him without letting the tears build up in my eyes. I had the tendency to cry when I was angry.

"I'm sorry I got mad at you and I sure as hell shouldn't have touched you like that."

"No," I retorted, "you shouldn't have. And if you think you're gonna charm your way into making me forgive you, you're sorely mistaken."

"At least tell me."

I already knew that I was going to. But I sat there with my weight shifted onto one foot and my arms crossed acting like it took me a while to decide. "Fine." The only reason why I did was because I didn't want that bitch to tell him. I wanted him to need me. Yeah, I know how bad that sounds but I was pissed.

This time, _I_ dragged _him_ to the couch. I sat as far away from him as I could get. And when I told him, I wasn't gentle. I just told him straight-forwardly not giving him time to let the information sink in.

"We're called Nephilim. But the more modern term is Shadowhunter. We were created by the Angel Raziel which you already know. We were born to protect the humans from demons like the ones your mother fought."

"Wait, wait, slow down," Jace said frustrated.

"No," I said and then I kept going, not stopping to think of what to say. I felt like I had memorized my whole speech. "The runes that we use enhance our abilities which is why they're so important to us."

Jace stared at me, eyes dazed as he tried to piece it all together. I almost wanted to smirk at his expression but I thought that was too cruel and stuck with my glare.

"Oh and one more thing," I added. "There's someone after me named Valentine, so I wouldn't think about going outside. Goodnight." I stood up and walked to the door. I opened it and was ready to step outside when someone slammed the door shut.

I turned around, so sure it was Jace and opened my mouth to scream profanities about him but stopped when I saw it was Maryse.

"You're not going anywhere," she said. "It's too dangerous. You're staying here."

I scoffed. "No, I'm not."

Maryse gave me a sympathetic look. I wanted to tell her I didn't need her pity but I bit my tongue to keep from saying it. "I know you're upset with Jace and you have every right to be. But don't put yourself in danger because of him." She turned around to talk to Jace. "Take her to the guest room please, while I call your father."

"No, thanks," I said hatefully. "I'll find it myself."

Maryse sighed as I started up the stairs. "It's the last room at the end of the hall."

I didn't thank her. I just followed her directions to the room. Just as I sat down on the bed, the door was ripped open and in came Maia.

"What kind of shit have you gotten yourself into?" she demanded. Her eyes were gold for a second and then they turned brown. She had shifted.

"You're arms bleeding," I said as I walked up to her. "Are you ok?"

"I'll heal in a minute. But what the hell? I thought Luke and I told you to stay out of trouble?"

I sat down on the bed. "I know, I'm sorry."

Maia sighed and sat down next to me. "I'm just glad your ok."

"I'm sorry I made you go through all this trouble just to get to me."

She shrugged. "It was no biggie."

I looked down at her arm and sat that the cut was just a pink scar now.

I gasped as I thought of something.

"What is it?"

"Simon! Where is he?"

Maia's eyes widened. "Oh, God. I think he's performing at the Pandemonium."

"We have to go!"

We sprinted down the steps.

"Where are you going?" Jace asked.

"None of your business."

"It is my business," he said. "I'm a shadowhunter, remember?"

I glared at him. "Move!"

"Not until you tell me where you're going."

"To go save my friend, thank you very much!"

"I'm coming with you."

I shoved him out of my way. "No, you're not."

Maia and I left the house but Jace followed us.

"God, you're even more stubborn than she is," Maia said to Jace.

I ignored the both of them and ran. Of course then Camille skidded in front of us in her red Lamborghini. "Get in!" she shouted.

The three of us jumped into the car.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"Pandemonium Club." I almost expected her to yell at me because I wanted to go back to the place she told me specifically not to go to but instead, she stomped on the gas pedal. She ran red lights, cut drivers off and broke every driving law there was until we were in front of the building.

"Hurry up," she said.

"You stay," I growled at Jace. And this time he actually did.

Maia and I ran inside. She stopped to ask the owner if Simon and his band was still here but I ran straight to the backstage. I sighed in relief when I saw Simon putting his guitar away.

I ran to him and surprised him by jumping into his arms.

"Clary?"

"I'm so glad you're ok!"

Simon put me back down on my feet. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Si!" Maia did the same thing by throwing herself at him.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"It's a long story," Maia and I said simultaneously. "Clary, have Camille take you back to Jace's house while I talk to Simon."

"Are you sure? I can tell him if you want."

"No, I need you to be safe. I'll watch out for him, I promise."

"Ok. Thanks, Maia. Be careful."

"You too."

I walked out from backstage and waved goodbye to the owner.

He smiled and nodded toward me.

Outside, Camille was smoking a cigarette as she leaned against the car.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

She blow the smoke out and waved her hand to keep from getting it in my face and then put the butt out. "Nothing. Get in."

I climbed back into the passenger seat.

"Where's wolf-girl?" she asked as she started the engine.

"She's taking Simon home. It's just us."

"Good."

We sped back to Jace's house. I thought she was going to drive away after driving off after dropping us off. But instead, she stopped the engine and walked with us to the house.

Maryse was waiting for us. "I thought I said not to leave this house."

"It was an emergency," Jace said.

She rolled her eyes at us and locked her eyes on Camille who was standing just outside the door. I guess she knew who she was because she invited her inside.

Camille stepped inside and closed the door behind us. "Don't worry, I caught them before they did anything stupid."

"Thank you."

Camille stared at Jace for the longest time. Jace began to fidget next to me.

"Why is she staring at me?"

I didn't answer. I was still angry. But even though I was confused as to why Camille was looking at him so awkwardly, I was glad she did. I wanted him to feel uncomfortable.

"I'll keep watch of the house tonight," she said. "But I have to be back at my place by dawn."

"I understand," Maryse said. "I'll have the kids in the Institute tomorrow so you won't have to worry."

"Institute?" Jace and I said together.

Like a mental institute? I thought we were already past the my-kids-are-crazy stage.

"Good," Camille said. She looked at me. "I'll go to Simon's and then to your apartment to get your clothes."

I stared at her with a hurt expression. "Camille! I'm not crazy!"

She lifted a brow at me and then laughed. "No, no, don't worry. It's not the Looney bin. You're fine, I promise."

I was glad it wasn't the "Looney bin" but I still had no idea where I was being taken tomorrow.

Maryse walked Camille out and thanked her again. "Guys, go get some sleep."

Silently, we walked up the steps. But I knew I wasn't going to be able to sleep. Not after all that happened today.

So, I took out my sketchbook and my iPod and began to draw while listening to Death of Me by Red.

**And that's it! Did you guys enjoy it? I hope you did because I'm very proud of myself lol. Well, I'll see you guys next weekend!**

**And don't forget to vote on my poll!**

**And review...hehe**

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	14. Chapter 14

**Hey guys! Welcome back! LOL sooo I've got a little something to share with you today! haha I wrote this chapter in Jace's point of view as well :) But here's the catch: There's a poll on my profile and I want you guys to vote! If you do, then I'll post Jace's POV next week! YAY! haha well here's chapter 14. Enjoy!**

5am. The sky was beginning to light up. The sun was rising. It was beautiful. You could hear the birds singing, the colors splashing. It was actually kind of funny. Everything seemed so peaceful and nice. But in reality, it was the exact opposite.

Someone's morning was beginning just as my night was about to end. Hopefully.

My iPod ran out of power so, I plugged the charger in and got dressed into the night clothes Camille had brought me from home. I was willing to try and get at least a couple hours of sleep but as tired as I was, sleep wouldn't come.

Anna Nalick's Catalyst was playing itself over and over in my head. Exhaustedly, I hummed it to myself like a lullaby. And each time I did, my eyes would flutter shut and I would slowly drift into Dreamland. But then, I would see something horrible that would make me jump back into vile, unbearable consciousness.

But the weird thing was, most of the things I saw had no relevance to what was going on. The first one, I could understand. It was a demon from _Constantine_. But the second time, I saw the Evil Bird from Black Swan who in fact wasn't scary. At all.

I was just so tired. But here I lay, sky getting brighter and brighter. Sleep was so far behind me, it hadn't even reached my radar.

So, I tried a different method. I didn't particularly like the method considering some of the things that happened today. Well, I guess it'd be yesterday.

I took a deep breath and thought back a couple of days. Jace had invited me over to tell me the information he found about the painting.

I remembered the way his hand lingered gently on my knee, the way he smiled and the way he looked.

It was like everything had changed. One second, I was looking at him as a friend. A friend who I relied on. We needed each other. We still do.

And then, it was like something had turned on inside me. My heart began to pound, sending me into an adrenaline rush and I couldn't seem to keep still. His hair was absolutely amazing. It looked like he did nothing to it but it looked perfect. And his biceps popped out of the sleeves of his shirt and his eyes were gorgeous. They were like a cat's in the dark.

I could feel myself begin to relax. But I didn't like that. I hated that Jace had that effect on me. He made me weak. I wanted to be angry with him but by thinking of his beautiful face, it was nearly impossible. Not _completely_ impossible. Just nearly.

But the picture of him was still there. And the weakness began to consume me as I began to make exceptions for him. What was I mad at him for? I was the one who lied, not him. I just used him pushing me as an excuse. He barely even touched me in the first place.

And before I could stop myself from giving in, I fell asleep.

It had only felt like a couple of minutes when Jace gently shook my shoulder.

"Clary?" His voice was soft. "Are you awake?"

I almost pretended to be asleep. I wasn't ready to face him. Not while I was still deciding whether I had forgiven him or not.

But for some strange reason, I peeked my eyes open. The first thing I saw was his muscled arms. And I knew I was done for. I hadn't even looked at his face and I was already beginning to feel awkward.

My body was melting by looking at him. But my mind told me it was wrong.

"Please, get up. Mom says it's time for us to go."

His voice was so soft, like he was afraid I would break if he were too loud. And his hand, never left my shoulder. His body heat sent a sort of comforting feeling inside me that made me want to go back to sleep. But my mind told me again about how I should get rid of these mixed feelings.

"What about Luke?" I said lightly. "And Simon? And Maia?"

"You can call them on the way. But we really need to go. It's important."

Reluctantly, I looked up at his face and nearly lost it. Those cat-like eyes were gleaming with sadness. It made me want to hug him and tell him I was sorry. But I wasn't sorry. I did nothing wrong.

_Well, you kinda did if you think about it_, my mind chastised me.

I cleared my throat. "Ok."

After a short moment, Jace got up from the bed and left the room to give me some privacy.

I sat up and looked at the time. 7:15. Two hours and twelve minutes of sleep. Great.

I sat there on the edge of the bed, building up the energy to get up and get in the shower. When I finally did, I threw on some ripped jeans and an old tank top I didn't know I still had. Too hot for summer but I couldn't care less.

I didn't wash my hair. But when I looked in the mirror, I wished I had. My hair was still curled from my date with Jace but it was all clumped together and frizzy from last night's flopping around.

I painfully ran a comb through my hair before putting into a ponytail.

I checked to make sure everything was in my bag for the third time in a row. I was so tired, I couldn't remember what I had and what I didn't.

After a long yawn, my body just gave out. I had to sit back down. My head was pounding and there was an ache in my stomach. I couldn't tell if I was about to throw up or if I was hungry.

I wanted to go home. As much as I didn't get along with my mother, I knew I could always go back home. There was just something about being in my room. Comforting I guess.

But I couldn't even go back there. I had never felt more alone in my life.

So, when Jace comes back and stands in the doorway and looks at me with those special eyes, I broke.

Tears began to stream down my face and I was making pathetically squeaky noises. Nothing was under my control anymore.

"Clary?"

"Go away," I said in a shaky voice.

I heard him step inside the room. "Is this about our fight? If it is, you know I-"

"It's not!" I said a bit too loudly. "Just, please leave. I'll be down in a minute, alright?"

But Jace didn't leave. He continued to stare at me. I could feel his eyes. But I refused to give in. I didn't meet his gaze.

I held back a sob as I swallowed and said, "Please, Jace. Leave me alone."

He stood there for a while. I actually thought I would have to physically kick him out. But eventually, he did leave which only made me cry harder. I didn't know what I wanted. When he showed up I broke down and when he left I just felt more alone.

I let myself cry for a few minutes before I forced myself to stop and pull myself together.

I wiped the tears away and grabbed my stuff. I probably looked worse than I already had. But I didn't care.

When I went downstairs, I kept my head down, afraid I would run into Jace or worse. His mom. She seemed like one of those people who felt the need to comfort and refuse to stop until the person is healed.

And I really wasn't in the mood.

We silently climbed into Maryse's minivan. Luckily for me, Jace sat in the passenger seat and I sat directly behind him so he couldn't sneak a peek at me.

With my iPod fully charged, I turned it on and somehow was able to find sleep again.

I don't remember dreaming anything which was good. I think I would lose my mind if I had one more nightmare about demons.

When I woke up, I felt rested. And although the same amount of stress was still on my shoulders, just waking up with a fresh start made me feel like I had a better grip on things.

I was lying in a tempurpedic bed with silk sheets and mahogany bed frame. Trés chic. I guess this was the Institute Maryse was going on about.

I sat up and cringed when I felt the thin line of drool sticking to my face. "Ew."

After wiping it off, I found a note on the bed.

_You fell asleep in the car so I carried you inside. When you wake up come meet us for dinner. I want to introduce you to everyone._

_-J_

Rolling my eyes, I crumpled it up and threw it in the trash. There was no use in introducing me. I was leaving.

I pulled out my phone after searching in my bag for at least a half hour and called Luke.

"Clary, where the hell have you been?"

"Hello to you too, Luke," I answered with a smile. It felt good to use sarcasm.

"Your mother and I have been so worried about you!"

"_Clary! I'm so sorry, baby,"_ Jocelyn said in the background, _"Please, come home to mamma."_

I sighed. "I'm at the institute."

"How'd you get there?" he asked.

"My…" I cleared my throat and forced the word out, "friend's mom took us."

"Which friend?" Luke asked apprehensively.

"His name's Jace. We've bee helping each other out, trying to figure out the whole Shadowhunter thing. And last night we got attacked so his mom drove us to the Institute. She said we'd be safe here, but I don't wanna stay here. Take me home."

"Maryse?"

After everything I said, that was the only thing he caught. "Yeah, how do you know her?"

"It doesn't matter. But she's right. You're safe there."

"Luke, I'm not staying here. I don't know any of these people!"

He chuckled. "I bet you've locked yourself in your room without even getting to know them."

Ok, so maybe I was locked up in my room but that wasn't my fault. "I thought you said home was the safest place for me."

"Well, I've changed my mind. The Institute is more safe."

I groaned. "Luke, please."

"Clary," he said mimicking my voice, "please."

Clenching my teeth, I growled a reluctant "Fine" and then I hung up.

And so it was decided. I wasn't going back home. I'd never be able to run to the confinements of my room. I was forced to take care of myself.

After realizing this, I grabbed my sketchbook and began to draw. I drew the things I saw in my dream, the sky at five am, anything to keep me distracted. It was until I had reached the last page that I had to go out and get another one.

At six, Jace knocked on my door but I quietly got up and locked it. Then I returned to the bed.

"Clary? Are you still sleeping?"

I rolled my eyes but didn't answer.

He tried to open the door and found it was like. "If you're awake, come down to the dining room. Dinner's ready and everyone's eager to meet you."

Sure, they were. Who else would want a complete stranger in their house? And how did Jace even know these people?

I heard Jace's footsteps travel back down the hall again.

By eight, I was starving. I should've gotten something to eat while it was offered to me but for some reason I decided to stay locked in my room. And I didn't want to leave now. I didn't want anyone to see how petulant I was acting.

But I came up lucky a half hour later.

I was adding details to one of my older drawings when I heard a consistent scratching at the door.

I thought about ignoring it. But it just kept going and going so finally, I opened it.

There sat a blue Persian cat that looked like it was glaring at me. He turned around and began to walk down the hall. When I didn't follow him, he hissed.

Awkwardly, I closed the door behind me and followed the cat. I thought I was going to get caught but I didn't.

Man, this place was _huge_. It felt like I was walking down one of the never-ending corridors at my high school.

When we descended a flight of steps, I wished Athena had given me here gold rope so I'd be able to find my way back through the labyrinth.

The cat led me to what I assumed to be the kitchen. No one was in it but I decided to get what I wanted quick before someone saw me.

I'm not sure how the cat knew I was hungry but I was glad he did.

I grabbed two granola bars and an apple and then the cat and I booked it back upstairs. I thanked the cat once I was back in my room but he just hissed at me again.

I closed and locked the door and shoved the granola bars down my throat.

The next morning, I realized that I had to face everyone. I couldn't keep myself locked inside forever. I wasn't sure how I was going to do it, considering I had no idea how to get around.

But it made things easier when I found a note by the door.

_We need to talk._

_Meet me at the library. Church will show you the way._

_Jace_

Wasn't that always the girls' line? And who was Church?

I picked out something to wear and then took a quick shower in the adjacent bathroom. Man, this mansion had everything.

I put my hair up into a sloppy bun and opened the door and found the cat again. So, this was Church.

"Hey, Church."

He hissed in reply.

"You're a very cranky animal."

Church began to walk down the hall again and I followed him.

We went the same way to the kitchen but instead of turning left at the bottom of the stairs, we turned right.

We passed the dining room, a room that looked like a gym and then Church stopped in front of a pair of double doors.

Church walked away then, leaving me standing there like an idiot.

I took a deep breath, preparing myself for the worst. Jace was probably mad. Not only did I ignore him, but I ignored everyone else which was completely disrespectful. He was going to chew me out, I knew it.

So I walked in with my head down and shoulders slumped.

Jace lifted his head from a book he was reading and looked at me with an apologetic smile. Something I wasn't expecting.

I gently closed the doors behind me and took a slow step forward.

"Clary." Jace put his book down and stood up. "I almost thought you wouldn't come."

I shrugged. "Well, I did."

I sat down on the couch across from his chair.

"I wanted to say I'm really sorry for what happened Saturday night."

I shrugged. "I'm the one who lied." It came out more bitterly than I intended.

Jace furrowed his brows together and looked down at his hands. Then he looked back up at me. "I know I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. And I shouldn't have touched you. But believe me when I say that I'm terribly sorry."

I kept still and tried not to let any emotions cross my face.

"You're still mad?"

I rolled my eyes. "No, Jace. I'm just looking at you like this because my face is frozen from Botox."

Jace sighed. "I know it was horrible, what I did. But that was a lot of stuff you laid down on me. I needed time to process it."

I stood up and waved my arms. "For the love of God, Jace! Don't you get it! That's not what I'm mad about!"

"Then what is it?" He was trying to stay patient but I wasn't helping by screaming at him.

My voice was shaking and I could feel the tears building up again, but I held them back this time. "I know what I did was wrong. I should've told you from the start and I know I should've given you more time to think it all through. But the things you said to me Jace, oh my God!"

Jace stared at me with a surprised face. "What?"

I tried to contort my voice so it would sound like his. _"It's just a stupid date, Clary. It doesn't matter!"_

"Are you kidding me?" Jace was getting angry now. "That's what you're upset about?"

"If I was so unimportant then why did you find it necessary to ask me in the first place?"

Jace scoffed. "I was mad! I didn't mean that, you have to know that!"

"I don't care! Don't you ever talk to me like I'm a lowlife! I was only trying to protect you, to make our night special! And then you hit me! If you ever lay a hand on me again, I'll rip you to pieces!"

Jace's face was priceless. If I wasn't so angry at the time, I would've laughed. "I'm sorry."

"I'm tired of you saying that," I growled.

"Well, what else would you like me to say?"

Good question. But I didn't know.

I took a deep breath to calm myself down. "Look. I don't want to leave things like this between us. But these demons and whoever's watching us knows that we're each other's weaknesses, don't try to deny it. And they possibly know where we are now. We need to stick together for our lives' sake. So, let's start over and just try to cooperate with each other."

Jace swallowed and smiled a little. "I think I'd like that."

"But don't think that I'm still not mad at you. Because I am."

Jace only nodded.

"Do we have a deal?"

"We have a deal."

I faked a smile and then made to leave.

"Wait, Clary, where are you going?"

I gave him a confused look. "To my room."

"Don't you want to meet everyone?"

I tried to fidget. "You don't think it'll be awkward, do you?"

Jace rolled his eyes. "I can always count on you to worry." He walked up to me and I waited for him to take my hand or wrap his arm around my shoulders. He always did that when he walked me out of his home or if we were wondering around. But he brushed past me and the energy he was giving off made me feel like he was mad.

But when he turned around, he smiled. It was a tight smile. A forced smile. "You coming?" And his voice was friendly. But it was all strained.

"Yeah." I followed him down the hall.

Things were bad. Things were _very_ bad.

**Uh-oh. Seems like there's a little tension between the two lovebirds. *cue music* Wah, wah, waaaaaaah.** **Well I guess all the best love stories have glitches.**

**Don't forget to vote on my poll! **

**And review!**

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	15. Chapter 15

**Hey guys! Sorry this chapter was uploaded so late. I was out with my girl getting our nails done lol. We had a blast! And then I messed around with the guitar a little bit when i should've been writing...I'm a lazy person lol**

**Well, here's chapter fifteen! I think you'll enjoy this one.  
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I walked partly behind Jace, trying to keep my compsure.

You could practically see the tension between us. But Jace and I just pretended to smile like everything was ok. And it was all my fault.

We walked into the room I saw before. It was a gym. Who had a gym in their house?

There we saw two figures flopping around on the floor. They moved so fast they blurred. I could only make out a girl with long black hair and a boy with the same dark hair.

"I never knew humans could move that fast," I mumbled to Jace.

"What did you call me?" The girl stopped fighting, breathing heavily as she glared at me.

With her distracted, the boy tackled her. "I win."

But the girl kneed him in the stomach and flipped him over so she was straddling him. "You never win."

Jace cleared his throat loudly. "Guys? There's someone I want you to meet."

The two of them stood up and stared at me. The boy looked friendly enough but the girl? Not so much. Especially with the clothes she was wearing. Or lack there of.

Remember when Jace took me to the movies and I said I almost wasn't let in because of how childish I looked? Yeah. I don't think there's anything left to say on my part.

So, when this tall, black-haired chick comes walking up to me wearing a crop top and extremely short shorts, it makes me want to hide behind Jace.

"And so the grouch awakens."

I knew she was only teasing. But was she trying to be funny or trying to be mean?

The boy hit her with his elbow and muttered something I couldn't hear. The girl responded by giving him an exasperated look.

Jace was about to put his hand on m shoulder but stopped himself to my disappointment and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Isabelle, Alec, this is my…" he paused and then cleared his throat again, "This is Clary. Clary, this is my brother and sister."

Alec stepped forward and held out his hand. "It's nice to meet you."

I shook it with a smile. "Likewise."

Looking over to Isabelle, I wondered whether I should've taken the high road and offer a handshake like Alec did or to stand there like an idiot.

But before I was able to decide, Isabelle cut me off by saying, "How long are you staying again?"

"Izzy!" the two boys yelled.

She held up her hands. "I'm just asking! By the Angel."

Isabelle began to walk off but stopped next to me to whisper something in my ear. "Things will be interesting with you around here." And then she walked out of the room.

Whatever the hell that meant.

"Sorry about her," Alec aid. "She, uh, gets a little manic whenever there's another girl here."

I lifted a brow. "Should I worry?"

He brought up his two fingers and left only a little space between them. "Maybe a little."

Jace chuckled. "Way to make her feel comfortable."

Alec shrugged. "I'm only being honest."

"Whatever."

"Jace?"

We all turned and saw Maryse standing in the doorway.

"What?" he snapped.

Alec flinched at Jace's intensity.

"Can I please see you in the library?"

"I'm busy."

I looked at Alec, silently asking what to do but he only shrugged.

"It's important."

Jace looked at her for a long time. But eventually, he turned over to Alec. "Give Clary a tour. I'll find you guys later."

"Sure."

I watched Jace leave silently with Maryse. I wished I could be with him. I knew he was upset with her and I didn't want things to get out of hand.

"Well," Alec said, tearing me from my thoughts. "Lets get started shall we?"

I nodded and tried to smile.

"This is the gym, if you haven't already noticed."

Rolling my eyes, I followed him outside. We walked up the steps and back to the hallway where the room I was staying in.

"This is the Main Hall. It's where all the rooms are. There are more on the other sides of these walls but this is where the guests usually are."

I looked at him in surprise. "Do you usually get this many guests?"

He laughed as we started down the hall again. "NO, but it's always good to be prepared, I guess."

I followed him around the corner and like he said, there were more rooms on the other side.

"This is my room." He opened the door and allowed me to look inside.

It was very neat. Everything was organized. I couldn't help but smile when I saw a poster of Adam Lambert on the wall. Magnus would love it.

Alec closed the door. "Izzy's room is at the end of the hall."

"All the way down there?"

"Yeah."

"Don't you get along?"

"Yes, of course. It's just annoying when she comes home carrying on about this Downworlder was the perfect date. And then she feels the need to blast Taylor Swift's songs at full volume." He chuckled. "So, I forced her to change rooms."

I laughed, ignoring the face that Isabelle dated Downworlders. "It's funny. She doesn't seem like the kind of person to listen to Taylor Swift."

"Right?" He elbowed my playfully. "As tough as she is, she can be a real girl sometimes. C'mon, there's still a lot to show you."

As we walked, I began to worry less and less about Jace. Alec had a way of calming me and making me laugh over the dumbest things, almost like Simon does.

"This is the study," he said as we walked into the biggest room in the house.

The walls were lined with bookshelves, not one space left. On the ceiling was a painting of Raziel whispering into someone's ear. The angel of mysteries.

Toward the back was a desk and file cabinets.

"Don't you guys already have a library?"

Alec smiled. "Again, this is the study, not the library. But whatever we can't fit in here, we chuck into the library downstairs. If anyone needs some information for something, this is the place to go."

Alec dragged me up and down the stairs, during the tour. "Why don't you show me things in order to make it easier?" I asked as I finally got up the steps, panting slightly.

"Because," he said with a smile, "I'm showing you the coolest places first. Plus, it's good exercise. If you're going to be one of us, you need to build some muscle."

I gave him a weird look. "What do you mean?"

"You're a Shadowhunter aren't you?"

I nodded hesitantly.

"Well, it's time you start training."

Once Alec had showed me around the whole place, I was ready to collapse from exhaustion.

"No! C'mon Clary, there's one last room I want to show you."

I crossed my arms but he continued to look at me with those puppy-dog eyes. Those bright blue eyes were almost as beautiful as Jace's. Almost. "Ugh, fine. What is it?"

Alec grabbed my elbow and we ran down the Main Hall and down the steps almost running over poor Church. And then he took me to the room adjacent to the gym. "This is the weapons room."

I looked around and blinked in surprise. There were a whole bunch of knives, all differentiating in sizes. There were swords, whips and other instruments that I didn't know the names of. And the occasional pistol.

"You guys are allowed to play with these?" I asked.

"_Play_ isn't the exact term I'd use but yes." He smiled at my astonished expression. "You'll figure out which one is for you when you start training."

"Which one's yours?" I asked.

"Well, none of them are mine," he said. "We all have our own cache for our weapons. But," he paused to grab a bow and arrow. "I'm pretty good at archery."

I wasn't really into hunting, or any type of killing. I didn't even like to go fishing because I knew it hurt them. But for some reason, I found myself holding out my hands in excitement. "Can I see?"

He handed it to me. "Be careful."

The bow felt way too big and too heavy for my taste. But I held it up and tried to look like I knew what I was doing. I drew the bow back playfully and aimed the arrow at Alec.

He smiled but played along. "Oh no! Please, don't kill me! I'll do _anything._"

I laughed and was about to make fun of him but my fingers slipped, letting the arrow fly. I screamed and closed my eyes, not wanting to see the outcome. But I opened them again when I heard a pitiful _clank_.

I peeked one eye open. And then the other. The arrow hadn't even reached Alec's feet.

Alec threw his head back and laughed so hard, he had to lean against the chair to keep is balance.

"I'm so sorry!" That wasn't supposed to happen!" My apologies were blocked out by his laughter. But after a while, he pulled me into a hug, still laughing.

"Promise me something, Clary."

I swallowed. "Ok."

"Tell me that you'll never leave! Things will never be boring again!"

I glared at him.

"Ok, ok. Let's go get some lunch. Ah, that was too funny."

Alec made toast for the two of us, nutella for me and peanut butter for him. And I also grabbed an apple.

"You're not still mad are you?" he asked.

I shrugged. "Not really. Now that I've got some real food in me, I'm feeling better."

"Oh yeah! You didn't eat anything for like, two days!"

Blushing, I took another bite out of my toast.

"Oh! She's awake!" A man stepped into the dining room. He had Alec's black hair and Isabelle's brown eyes. I assumed this was the father. But for some reason, I couldn't see anything of Jace in him.

"Why didn't anyone tell me?"

"Sorry, Dad. We never got the chance. This is Clary."

I stood up and shook his hand. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Lightwood."

He groaned. "Mr. Lightwood is my father. Call me Robert."

I took my hand back. "Ok."

"Did you give her a tour of the place, Alec?"

Alec nodded.

"It's a big place you have," I said.

Robert waved it off. "You get used to it after a while."

Isabelle trotted in then, her boots making an obnoxious tapping every time she stepped. At least she was fully covered this time.

She wore a silky red blouse with navy blue jeggings and her hair hung in loose curls.

"What are we talking about?" she asked, taking a seat next to Alec.

"Just welcoming Clary."

She rolled her eyes. "Boring. Let's get to the good stuff." She turned her gaze to me. "Why are you so important? I mean, Maryse wouldn't send you here for no reason, right?"

Alec put his head in his hands just as Robert said, "Come on, Iz. It's her first day here."

Isabelle flipped her hair behind her shoulders. "Actually, it's her second but whatever."

They all fell silent then and looked at me.

Timidly, I shrugged. "I don't know."

"Izzy, seriously. Give it a rest," Alec said firmly.

She huffed dramatically. "The both of you seem to be forgetting how little time we have. Valentine's out there looking for Clary right now. We could be attacked any second and none of us are prepared."

"You're right," Robert said. "We're very short on time. But we are not discussing anything without Jace and Maryse."

And as if hearing her name being called, Maryse came to a skidding halt and poked her head in. "Have any of you seen Jace?"

"He's not with you?" Isabelle asked.

She shook her head. "I was talking to him and then he ran off."

"What were you talking about?" Robert asked.

Maryse sighed and her shoulders slumped in disappointment.

This was enough to answer Robert's question. He groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Maryse, I thought we had an agreement?"

She glared. "Do not talk to me like a child. You and I both know he had to hear this."

Isabelle ran a hand through her hair and rolled her eyes. "Great. Now he's gonna be in one of his moods."

Alec rested his hand on his mother's arm comfortingly. "I'll talk to him."

"So, you know where he is?" she asked.

He shook his head. "No, but Church will show me."

"Ok, what's up with this cat?" I had to ask. "Does he just know everything?"

"Church isn't just a cat," Isabelle said. "He was raised by two witches. He understands humans and he's gotten pretty close to us over the years."

"How'd you find him?"

"Alec found him while we were sight-seeing in London."

And that was it. The very short conversation between Isabelle and I. There was no, "I think we'll be great friends" or "I can't wait to train with you". Nope. The only thing we were able to talk about without anything being awkward was a cat.

Robert and Maryse had excused themselves while we were talking. I couldn't hope for someone to start another conversation. It was just me and Isabelle sitting at the table alone quietly.

After a few seconds of silence, Isabelle looked up at me, not saying anything. I looked at her back, not sure what to do. And we stayed that way.

"Ok," she finally said. "C'mon."

"C'mon, what?" I asked.

She stood up and waved me over. "C'mon! I want to show you something."

I got up and followed her hesitantly.

We walked to the study. The beauty of it was like looking at an ancient room in a museum but instead of looking through glass, you could walk in it and touch things. And the smell of old books made me feel relaxed. I could curl up into one of the chairs with one and never feel the need to move.

Isabelle grabbed one of the ladders and climbed it. Once she found the book she was looking for, she surprised me by jumping off the ladder and landing gracefully on her feet.

She handed the book to me. "Here, this might help you."

The book was a bit large and looked kind of squarish. Like a dictionary almost. It was bound in dark blue velvet, different than most books.

I was about to ask why she thought I needed it but a silver pattern caught my eye. And then I realized it wasn't just design. They were words.

_The Shadowhunter's Codex_ it read.

I gasped and almost dropped the book.

"What?"

I looked at her in shock. "This is it?"

"What?" she repeated.

"The book?"

"Yes, it's a book."

"No!" I sighed in frustration. "The book that Raziel wrote!"

She looked at me as if she were impressed. "Yeah. How'd you even know about that?"

I had to tear my eyes away from the book to answer her. "Jace and I found a painting of Raziel rising from a lake-"

"Lake Lyn," she interrupted.

"so we did some research and found the book he wrote. But that was just what the Christians believed. We didn't know it really existed."

"Well, it's not the original obviously. It's was rewritten into our language and then modified. It's kind of like a Bible. People put down what they believe but if you think about it, it probably isn't _exactly_ like the original version."

I nodded, holding the book close. "Right. Thanks, Isabelle."

"Sure. Just share it with Jace. You've got a lot to catch up on."

I held the book to my chest and thanked her once more before I left.

I ran into Alec on the way to my room. "Hey. Did you find him?"

With a sigh he said, "Yeah, but he's in his room and won't let anyone in."

"What's he so upset about anyway?"

He shoved his hands into his pockets and shrugged. "It's not my place to tell."

I tried to act like I didn't care, but I did. "Ok. I guess I'll see you later."

I made to move around him but he pulled me back.

"Is that the Codex?" he asked.

"Yeah, Isabelle gave it to me. She wants Jace and I to get a head start."

He smiled. "I'll be honest. A book cannot be anymore boring than this one."

I chuckled. "Thanks for the warning, but I'll take what I can get."

"Ok. Have fun with that."

And then I continued walking. But instead of walking straight down, I made a right, hoping Alec wasn't still watching me.

I looked at the different rooms, trying to find some sign of life. It wasn't until I was about halfway down that I saw a light through the little space between the bottom of the door and the floor.

It had to be Jace's room.

I knocked on the door. "Jace? It's me. Are you ok?"

It was silent for a few seconds. Then I heard a soft, "I'm fine."

I shuffled my feet awkwardly, not sure what to do next. "Um, Isabelle gave me something interesting. I thought you and I could take a look at it together."

"Maybe a little later."

I rolled my eyes and tested the door. It was unlocked so I walked in.

"What the hell are you doing?"

I should've apologized and left the room immediately. But I was frozen.

Jace was completely naked save for a towel wrapped loosely around his hips.

I swallowed the saliva that was piling on top of my tongue. "S-sorry…I…" I was unable to finish my sentence.

The book slipped from my new sweaty palms and to the floor.

I forced myself to look away and picked up the book. And as I went down, I took a deep breath to pull myself together.

Standing up straight again, I caught a smirk on Jace's face. Of course when he saw me looking, he got rid of it.

What an arrogant son of a bitch. He knew how attractive he was, the effect he had on me. I couldn't decide whether to be angry or to be happy.

On the one hand, Jace was smirking! After seeing me lose my mind over his lack of clothing, he smirked! Which meant there was a possibility he still felt something for me. Either that or he liked to be ogled.

But on the other, we were still technically fighting. We haven't talked or tried to fix things. We just left things messy and pretended not to see it.

And we promised to be cooperative with each other. Isabelle was right when she said we didn't have a lot of time. Instead of locking ourselves in our rooms whenever something bad happens, we have to hurry and do something about it.

Of course, at the time I was too star struck to say these things. So, I just left the room and went back to my own to start reading. I didn't bother to close my door.

It had only been a few minutes when Jace showed up in the doorway, fully dressed unfortunately.

"Hey."

I smiled and tapped the spot next to me on the bed. "Come in, you have to see this, it's cool."

Jace sat down next to me. "What is it?"

"It's the Shadowhunter's Codex. It's supposedly the one-"

"The one that was written by Raziel!"

I laughed. "Yeah, that's the one. Maybe it'll help us."

Jace took the book gently. "I think I heard Dad talking about this once with Maryse but I never paid it any mind because I had no idea what they were talking about?"

He flipped to the back of the book. I thought he was looking for an index but instead we got a list of years. It started in 1876 and ended in 2037. After each year was an annotation.

"What are those?"

He didn't answer. He just found the current year, looked at the annotation and flipped to it in the book. Chapter six, paragraph twelve**.**

"I think they're prophecies."

Jace read aloud.

"_As I look down from the sky,_

_Two warriors are at risk._

_There is a world behind the naked eye,_

_Keep your senses alert before you fall into the abyss._

_There are decisions to be made_

_Because there is a boy in the cluster_

_Who has control over the blade_

_And is infected with the blood of a monster._

_Do not worry, you will not fail,_

_For the Herondales will prevail."_

"What does that mean?" I asked.

Jace shrugged. "No idea. But it's probably nothing. I mean, this was written a long time ago."

"Maybe."

Jace easily let it go and then flipped back to the front of the book and shared the book with me so we both could read.

But the words continued to rattle through my head. It was like whoever wrote it knew what was going on and wrote something about it, maybe to just to freak us out. But how did they know? And why did it seem like it was written just for us?

There were still pieces missing from the puzzle. And it was up to us to find them.

**Yeah, I know. That was a really bad prophecy. But I was rushing a little to get this chapter up. I hope it didn't suck too badly. Let me know what you think!**

**My poll is still up if anyone is interested. Obviously, Alec and Isabelle are already here but there's still a couple more choices. If i get a lot of votes I'll post a chapter in Jace's POV.**

**Review plz!**

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	16. Chapter 16

**Welcome Fanfiction readers! lol sorry this chapter is up so late. Me and my friends went bowling today. It was the best! We all sucked but it was still fun. I really enjoyed writing this chapter! It _might_ be a little slow at first but i think it's all worth it in the end. Enjoy!**

Jace and I sat close together but didn't touch. We read the Shadowhunter's Codex together.

The first three hundred pages were just about us. They were pretty tedious. I almost believed Alec was right about the book. Boring as ever.

Luke and Maia had told me everything I needed to know. So, I didn't really pay attention.

It wasn't until they started talking about the Council and the Clave that I really let the information sink in.

The Clave was basically a government for Shadowhunters or "half-humans" as the book had put it. But I didn't like that term much. It made us sound like the exact opposite of holy creatures.

The Council, the Inquisitor and the Consul make up the Clave. They hold meetings in a place called Idris. You need Raziel's mirror to get there.

I also learned the Clave decides who gets to run the Institutes. I had no idea Maryse and Robert were chosen to run this institute, let alone that there were others.

And then they began to talk about the different immortals or races as the book refers them as.

I paid special attention to warlocks, vampires and werewolves. I wanted to learn more about my friends.

I wasn't the only one who was interested.

Jace was a fast reader. He kept whining about how I was reading too slowly.

Giggling at his impatience, I turned the page.

"Can you believe Alec said this book was boring?" I asked.

He gave me an incredulous look. "It's possible that he needs psychological help."

I laughed, not only because what he said was funny, but because he was here with me.

Our relationship still wasn't one hundred percent, but we were getting better. We were laughing with each other again.

Then, Alec knocked on the door.

Jace became stiff, the smile melting from his face and anger boiling in his eyes.

I thought he was going to be cold and distant to me again but he wasn't. It was good for me. But Alec got the short end of the stick.

Jace shrank away from Alec and his hand came to rest on my tiny fingers.

"So you got him to crawl out of his room, huh?"

I couldn't help but smirk as I thought about how I had caught him off guard after his shower.

Jace rolled his eyes and caught my gaze. I blushed deeply.

"Impressive."

"What do you want, Alec?" Jace snapped.

Alec looked hurt for a second, but then wiped the emotion off his face and crossed his arms. "Mom told me to get you two down for dinner."

"Fine," said Jace. "We'll be down in a second."

Alec looked at me for help but I could only shrug.

Once he left, Jace let his body relax.

I took my other hand and cradled his hand in mine as I took the book away. Then, I turned to face him. "What happened with you and Maryse earlier today?"

He took his hand out of my grasp and stood up. "Nothing. Let's go get something to eat."

I followed him out, hoping he'd take my hand again. He didn't. We were back to not touching.

When Jace and I got there, everyone was piling their plates with food. Well, everyone but Isabelle. She wasn't at the table.

Alec grabbed a banana. "I'm feeling a bit fruity today."

Jace snorted but I elbowed him, not hard enough to actually hurt him but enough to get my point across.

Robert and Maryse made small talk with me. They asked how I was enjoying my room, was I comfortable, you know, the usual.

That's when Isabelle decided to come in, still wearing her blouse and tights but she added more accessories and lots and lots of makeup. She looked a little too perfect.

"You're late Is-" Maryse stopped when she saw the amount of makeup she wore. Good. It wasn't just me.

"I'm fashionably late," Isabelle corrected. She took a seat next to Alec.

"Don't tell me your leaving to see that faerie boy again."

"His name's Meliorn and yes." She paused to grab her food. "But only to break up with him. He's been treating me like sh…crap."

Maryse shook her head and took a bite of dinner.

Robert looked up. I could tell it took effort to be patient with Isabelle. "Why put that much work into the way you look if you're breaking up with him?"

Isabelle gave him a look as if the answer was obvious. "I want him to know what he's missing."

I stifled a laugh and took a sip of water, trying to play it cool. I failed miserably.

Isabelle glared at me but only continued the conversation with her parents. "You know, I thought you to would be happy to hear I was breaking up with him."

Maryse sighed and Robert spoke for her. "Just eat your dinner."

And then everything to quiet. Robert tried to get Jace to talk by asking what we've been up to all day. But he didn't even look up from his plate.

Alec cleared his throat. "Clary's reading the Codex."

Maryse looked at me like she was astonished. "Wow. Good for you, Clary."

I smiled awkwardly, not knowing what the big deal was. Hundreds of Shadowhunters must've read it. "Isabelle gave it to me, so I guess you should be thanking her." I decided not to mention that Jace was reading it too. He wasn't all too fond of being in the spotlight today.

"Are you bored out of your mind yet?"

I smiled. "I actually think it's kind of interesting."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. And the prophecies in the back are pretty cool too."

Robert shot his fist into the air. "HA! I told you they were prophecies!"

Maryse rolled her eyes. "Not at the dinner table, honey."

"What prophecies?" Alec and Isabelle said simultaneously.

"You don't know?" I asked. "I'll show you after dinner."

I was the subject of interest now. I didn't particularly like it but I did it for Jace.

And when I looked over at him, he gave me a small smile and took my hand again.

I squeezed it reassuringly and kept up the conversation.

After we finished eating, I managed to stop talking about me. We were all laughing, even Jace a little, at the story of me listening to Simon's shitty band for the first time.

"I'm telling you," I said through my chuckles, "it was the worst thing I've ever heard! Simon's guitar sounded like someone dying and Eric's voice was like he was trying to imitate Justin Bieber and Michael Jackson."

We all burst into another chorus of laughter just as obnoxiously loud bells began to sound. They sounded like church bells.

"What's that?" I asked.

"Someone's at the door," Maryse said. "Alec, would you go see who it is while I put the dishes away?"

"Sure." He looked at me. "You'll show us those prophecies when I get back right?"

I nodded.

He walked over to the elevator and waited for it to come to the right floor.

Elevators and church bells? What _didn't_ they have here?

Without speaking, Jace stood up and silently asked me to come with him.

I followed him up the stairs and he waited until we were in the Main Hall to begin speaking.

"Thanks for keeping them off my back down there," he said. "I know you didn't want to be the center of attention either."

"It was no big deal."

"But it was to me. So, thank you."

I smiled at him. I missed this. I missed the look he was giving me. His eyes were shining, his smile was making my heart race and his still had my hand in his. "You're welcome."

For the rest of the way to my room, we walked quietly, our hands intertwined.

When he went to pick up the book, that's when he took his hand back. "Sorry, I didn't know I was still holding it."

I shrugged nonchalantly. Who was I to complain?

We were about to go back downstairs when we ran into Isabelle. "Go to the study. We're having a meeting."

Whatever the hell that meant.

And then Magnus, along with the rest of the Lightwoods, came up the steps.

"Magnus!" I ran into his arms and he returned the hug.

"Hey, kid. How are you holding up?"

"I'm ok. What about you?" I asked.

"Never been better." And then he winked at Alec which baffled me momentarily but I didn't think about it much.

"You two know each other?" Isabelle and Alec said together.

Wow. Do those guys practice that or something? "Of course! We're besties!"

"Besties?" Magnus repeated. "I like that."

"Do you mind if we finish this inside?" Maryse asked.

Magnus and I were inseparable for the moment. I had missed his eccentric personality.

Magnus sat between Alec and me and they were…holding hands?

It was discreet. They hid them behind their chairs and looked forward, casually glancing at one another from time to time.

And that's when everything clicked.

"_She is kind of a bitch sometimes. Very profound. But when we were younger, she had a harder time figuring out who she wanted to be. Sometimes she would be sweet and caring. I liked her like that. That was the girl I fell in love with. But I don't know what happened after that. She put a wall up and wouldn't let anyone in. Now, it's safe to say that Camille's changed. But then again, so have I."_

It explained why he dressed the way he did and talked the way he did. I should've known from the moment he put on Adam Lambert's songs on.

I smiled and tried not to blush. They were so cute!

"So, what did you come to tell us today?" Robert asked.

He cleared his throat. "Well, I finally figured out who was helping Valentine."

I sat up straight and everyone did the same.

"You know, it wasn't that hard to figure out," Magnus said. "I just got a really good look at his face."

"Who is it?" I asked.

"It's his son, Jonathan. The minute I saw that bleach blonde hair and those dark black eyes, I knew."

"Oh that poor kid," Maryse said as she rubbed her temples. "I heard the rumors about his children but I always thought that they'd somehow find a way to…I don't know…be good?"

Magnus nodded in understanding. "Don't give up on all of them though. It's only Jonathan that seems to be under his spell."

"Do you know what they're after?" Robert asked. "Besides Clary?"

He shook his head. "Unfortunately no. But once I saw him I knew I had to tell you guys."

"We're glad you did."

"He might've-Oh! Clary, do you still have your sketchpad?" Magnus asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"Go get it. Maybe some of the pictures you drew will help."

Isabelle groaned as I got up and began the walk to my room. "How does some stupid picture help us?"

"She's clairvoyant."

I whipped around. "I'm _what now?_"

"Clairvoyant," Magnus repeated. "It comes with having the sight."

"The sight?"

He sighed. "Please, just get the book, darling."

I quickly retrieved the book and brought it back to him. "Which ones do you think will be useful?"

He surfed through them, "Mhm"ing at the ones he'd seen before. The runes, the mortal instruments, but when he got to the bazillion pictures of Jace, he waggled his eyebrows at me.

I smirked. "I'm working on it."

Magnus's voice was quiet when he replied, thank the Lord. "Oh, kinky."

"Here," he said pointing to one of them.

It was the boy that I saw in my dreams. The one who killed Jace. The one who held all of the mortal instruments.

_There is a boy among the cluster_

_Who has control over the blade…_

The prophecy rang through my head. Somehow, I was slowly starting to figure out how it went along with our predicament.

"I'm pretty sure he saw me looking at him," Magnus said. "He'll probably try to change his look. And his identity. This is what Clary saw in one of her dreams."

He passed the book around the small group of Lightwoods.

"It's not much," Magnus said, "but it's a start."

"It's great," Maryse said. "Thank you." Then she looked at me. "Clary, if you see anything weird, I want you to draw it."

I cleared my throat. "Um, actually, I ran out of sketch paper, so I-"

"We'll get you more immediately." She snapped her fingers at Robert.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" he asked frustrated.

She glared at him. "It means, get off your ass and get her more paper!"

He groaned. "I'll be back."

Magnus stood. "I should get going as well."

Alec followed him. "I'll walk you out."

Magnus turned around to give me another hug.

"You'll come back, right?"

He chuckled. "Of course. Don't you worry about a thing. Everything's gonna be ok."

I sighed into his chest. "I really wish we could keep having sessions every Friday."

He laughed. "Tell you what, I'll come back this weekend and we'll have a girls night in."

"In?"

"Well, we can't exactly go outside while you're a target, now can we?"

I laughed. "Ok, sounds good. I'll see you later."

"Ciao."

I sat back and tried to understand what Magnus said. "It doesn't make sense."

"What?" asked Jace.

"I'm clairvoyant?"

"Apparently."

"But it doesn't make sense. I mean, it's not like I'm being taken over with visions or anything. They're just dreams."

Jace grabbed my hand again. "Clary, even you said your dreams are never just dreams."

I sighed. "I hate my life."

Isabelle opened her mouth to say something but then Alec and Robert cut her off with their screams.

"Mom!"

"Maryse, get down here, now!"

Even though only Maryse was called, all of us jumped out of our seats and ran down the steps and to the front door to see what was going on.

The three boys were looking at something just outside the door.

I tried to get to the front to see what was so important but then Magnus put his arm out in front of me.

"No," he said. "Maybe you should go back upstairs."

After hearing that, I pushed past his arms and looked down.

A dead Simon was lying on the steps with blood pooling out of him.

I couldn't stop the heart-wrenching scream from coming out of my mouth. "_Simon!_ Simon, oh God! What happened to him?"

A pair of hands pulled me away and tucked my head in his shoulder. I knew it was Jace.

I wrapped my arms around him tightly. Simon was gone and now everyone was a risk. But I refused to lose Jace.

My grip on him tightened as I thought about the dream I had of Jace lying dead in front of me. The only thing I could do was sob into his shoulder.

Maryse sent Alec and Isabelle back to their rooms and then took Magnus and Robert into another, leaving Jace and I alone in the foyer.

Jace rocked me back and forth, rubbing my back, playing with my hair and hushing me like you would with a baby.

Eventually, we got tired of standing up so we slid down to the floor.

I was curled up in Jace's lap when the hysterical tears began to slow. I had to get a grip. I couldn't break down like this in front of everyone.

Magnus came back into the foyer and crouched down next to me. "Clary?"

I wiped my eyes and then turned to look at him.

"Camille's on her way."

"What good can Camille do?" I asked hoarsely.

"She's going to Change him."

I swallowed. "Is that a good or bad thing?"

"It's the only option we have if you want him alive. Well, not _alive_ alive but you know what I mean."

"What if he's…" it took me a while to get the lump out of my throat, "What if he's already dead."

"He's not."

"How do you know?"

"I'm a warlock." He smiled. "I can feel his life sparking in the atmosphere. Given, he doesn't have much time but he's still alive."

I smiled and a few more tears slipped from my eyes. "Good."

And that's when Camille arrived.

Jace and I stood up and looked out the door to see Camille looking at Simon.

"What?" I asked. "What's wrong?"

"I can't reach him," she said.

"What?"

Magnus picked Simon up and handed him to her. "Vampires can't step on holy ground."

"This is holy ground?"

"It used to be a church," Jace said.

Well that explained the church bells.

I went to go follow Camille but she glared at me.

"_No_. I let it slide when you kept showing up downtown at the café but I refuse to make an exception for this."

"Camille, he's my best friend," I said. "I need to be there."

"No! This is dangerous. _Extremely_. Stay here."

"No."

She groaned. "I don't have time for this. Magnus can you help me out here?"

He nodded. "Go ahead."

And just like that, she was gone.

I stood there staring at the empty space for a while, wishing I had supersonic speed. And that's when the thought hit me.

I was clairvoyant. Maybe there was a rune for speed.

The thick black swirls drew themselves in front of my eyes. There it was. The Speed rune. Now, if only I knew where they went.

"Where's she taking him?" I asked.

"Probably to the woods," Magnus said. "It's quiet and not a lot of people trot around there this late."

That was easy.

I took out my stele and drew the rune quickly on my arm before Magnus or anyone else could figure out what I was doing.

"Clary, what-"

I didn't stick around long enough to hear him finish the sentence.

I'm pretty sure I wasn't going as fast as Camille was but I was fast enough to escape Magnus.

When I reached the woods, I searched for a good ten minutes before I finally found Camille and Simon.

Camille was pulling herself out of a huge hole she had dug up in the ground. And when she saw me, she stomped her foot.

"Fuck! How the hell did you find me?"

I shrugged.

She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose muttering "shit" extremely fast. "Can you just do me a favor if you're gonna be here?"

I nodded.

"Stay out of the way. Once Simon's a Fledgling, he's not gonna think twice about who you are. He'll want blood and he'll do anything to get it."

I nodded again. "Ok."

"No! Not ok! Don't play this off like it's nothing! I'm serious!"

"So am I! I promise I'll stay out of the way."

Camille kept my gaze for couple more seconds. Her dark green eyes were filled with anger. She was _pissed_. I thought about looking away but I didn't. That only make her more upset.

Finally, her eyes moved to Simon. She drew her fangs and bit her wrist. Then, she fed the blood to Simon.

After about a minute, she took her wrist back and then carried him into the hole.

"Simon!"

Camille swore. "What now?"

We turned to see Maia staring at Simon in the hole with tears in her eyes. "_You son of a bitch!_" she shrieked. "What the fuck did you do to him?"

"Nothing!" Camille yelled. "I'm saving him!"

"Get away from him, you cunt!" And then she shifted. Right in front of me.

Maia's wolf barked and Camille hissed at her with her fangs still out.

I ran in between the two. It probably wasn't smart to get between a Vampire vs. Werewolf fight but Simon's life was at risk.

"Guys, stop it! We don't have much time!" I looked at Camille. "Keep going." Then at Maia. "It wasn't Camille. It was Valentine."

Her head tilted to the side.

"Camille's turning him."

I could tell that Maia wasn't all too fond of her boyfriend being turned into her natural enemy but it was better than being dead all together.

She grabbed her clothes with her mouth and then went behind a tree to turn back to human.

Camille had used her vampire speed to bury Simon in the dirt in about two minutes.

"Now what?" I asked as Maia came back from behind a tree fully clothed.

"Now we wait." She pulled out packets of blood that I hadn't seen before out in front of her, readying herself for when Simon rose.

Maia and I found a comfortable spot near a boulder while we talked. Maia talked about the multiple times she and Simon went out together. She told me about how adorably nerdy he was.

"So, did he ask you out already or is he still being a chicken?" I asked.

Maia smiled. "Actually he kissed me last night."

"Really?"

"Yeah. It was like one of those movie scenes. We were making out and then my parents started flickering the lights and turned on the sprinklers. But we just stood there mapping out each others mouths with out tongues."

I cringed and laughed. "Ew! Too much information."

"Sorry," she giggled.

"Ugh, now I'll never be able to get that image out of my mind."

Maia and I laughed for a couple more minutes before Camille warned us.

"Clary, this is the part where you need to-"

Simon burst out of the dirt screaming so highly pitched, Maia and I had to cover our ears.

Simon's cold brown eyes landed on me.

I got up to make a run for it but he only tackled me back down and sank his teeth into my neck.

"Simon! Get off! It's me, Clary!"

I winced when he fangs were ripped out of me and put my hand over the wound as I looked to see what happened.

Maia had gotten a hold of him and tried to drag him away from me but he knocked her down, giving her a brutal punch to the face.

Simon looked back at me but before he had time to launch himself at me, Camille tackled him and straddled him, feeding him the packets of blood. Where she'd gotten them I'm not sure.

I pulled out my stele again and drew an _iratz_ on myself.

"Maia," Camille called.

She sat up, cradling her cheek. "Yeah."

"Are you good enough to take Clary home?"

Nodding, she stood up and helped me to my feet. "C'mon, Luke's on his way."

"How do you know?" I asked.

"He would've felt me shift. He'll follow our scent back to the Institute."

I looked at her cheek. It was bleeding before and now it was just a red bump. "I'll get some ice for you when we get back."

"No, it's ok. I'll heal soon."

I rolled my eyes. "I don't care if you're a werewolf and you have super healing powers. You should ice it. And then have Luke check it out."

She chuckled. "Aren't I supposed to be the one helping you?"

"Whatever."

I felt a little dizzy from all of the blood I lost but Maia helped me keep my balance until we reached the Institute.

When we got back Jace picked me up and carried me to the couch in the living room while Magnus got Maia's face iced.

"What happened back there?" Jace asked as he stroked my hair.

I sighed and allowed myself to relax in his lap. "Don't ever hang around newly changed vampires. They're all crazy."

Jace examined the bit marks on my neck. "Maybe you should start taking vitamin B."

I laughed humorlessly. "Good call."

**So? What did you guys think? It took me a while to write it but it's done! Lol let me know!**

**Review plz!**

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	17. Chapter 17

**Hey guys! Sorry this chapter's up so late. I went out with my mom today lol I know, how lame does that sound? But we had a pretty fun day. First we went shopping and bought like a bunch of jeans and one of those hoodiebuddies. Man, the Chinese are getting very creative, aren't they? XD just kidding. But after we went shopping we went to see the movie Gone. It was good so if any of you guys were planning on seeing it, I'd definitely recommend it.**

**But anyway, here's chapter 17! I hope you guys like it!  
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Jocelyn and Luke barged in and found Jace and I curled up together.

Luke looked surprised for a moment. But then I thought is saw a small smirk form around the corners of his mouth. But then it slowly disappeared. It was kind of like one of those awkward moments in movies when the dad catches his daughter making out with some random dude.

But Jocelyn? She looked furious.

Jace made to move but I made him stay where he was. I even curled myself further into him just to piss her off.

Luke gently placed his hand around her waist. Anyone else would think it was a loving gesture but something told me he did it to hold her back.

Then he whispered something in her ear that I didn't catch.

Jocelyn's face lightened and then she smiled. She opened her arms for a hug. I swear this woman was bipolar.

But I slowly got up and hugged her. I was still weak from when Simon drank from me. So, when she squeezes the shit out of me, I'm trying my hardest not to pass out. I could practically feel my eyes popping out of their sockets.

Jace looked like he was about to throw up, he was so scared. Though what of, I had no idea. I don't think it was Luke. Sure, he was a little skeptical about him first but I think he has the right idea now.

Maybe it was Jocelyn. She was known to have some scary looks at times. I've jut grown used to them.

"Clary! I'm so glad you're ok!"

I sighed lightly, trying not to blow out too much oxygen. I would definitely faint if I had no more air. Besides, I didn't want my irritation to be obvious.

When she let go of me, I took a lungful of beloved air.

Jocelyn cuffed my hair behind my ears. "Don't worry, baby. We won't let Camille near you again. You'll be safe."

That was when I crossed my arms and glare at her. "Excuse me?"

"And I'll be sure to make Simon-"

"Jocelyn," Luke said, looking confused. "What in Raziel's name are you talking about?"

"I'm trying to keep my daughter safe." She put her hand on my shoulder but I flinched away from her touch, almost knocking myself over. I wasn't exactly coordinated at the moment.

"What's _wrong_ with you?" I demanded. "Have you finally lost all your brain cells?"

Luke continued to look bewildered as I yelled at my mother.

"Camille was a better mother to me than you ever were! And she always will be! I shouldn't have to run to her every time I have a question about what I am? And that goes for you too Luke!"

He lifted a brow at me.

"Given, maybe you _were_ a bit more smart about it but Jesus Christ! I mean, I know your not my real father but I think Magnus and I know each other better than we do!"

"Clary," Jocelyn said, finally coming out of her shock. "I wanted to tell you but-"

"No!" I interrupted her again. I couldn't stand any more of their lies. "She actually _tried_ to keep me safe. And she did a pretty damn good job of it. You just made me a bigger target."

"That's not true."

I rolled my eyes. "Yes it is, and you know it. And now because of the both of you, Jonathan and Valentine are after me."

"Jonathan?" they said at the same time.

I could tell Luke was hiding something because his face was calm. At first it was shocked but then he wiped the emotion off of his face. He was good at doing that. But Jocelyn was like an open book.

The look in her eyes had me frozen. The look she was wearing gave me goose bumps. It wasn't just fear. She looked absolutely positively _horrified_. It was obvious she was very familiar with Jonathan. And if she knew Jonathan, she had to know Valentine as well.

I began to wonder what other secrets she and Luke were hiding from me.

Magnus walked in then. "Alright, you two. C'mon. Everyone's waiting for you upstairs in the study."

I allowed myself to relax as he wrapped his arm around my shoulder.

Jace followed silently.

Magnus walked us to the study. I thought he would stay but he began to head down the hall again.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"I'm going to talk to Luke and Jocelyn."

I nodded. "Good. Maybe you can knock some sense into them. But Magnus?"

"What is it, darling?"

"Don't let her do anything to Simon or Camille. Because, once she sets her mind to something-"

Magnus chuckled. "Trust me, child, _I know_. Been there, done that."

"Promise?"

"Of course," he said as he flicked his dyed blue bangs out of his eyes. "And thank you for sticking up for Camille."

I smiled. "Of course," I said mocking his tone.

I took Jace's hand as we walked inside.

We took the two seats between Robert and Maia, who was still holding the icepack to her face.

"Hey, are you ok?" she asked.

I nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. How about you?"

She rolled her eyes. "Isabelle's kind of pissing me off. When will she finally pull that piece of coal out of her ass? I'm pretty sure it's a diamond by now."

I laughed into my hands and heard Jace chuckling a little as well.

"Jace where is Magnus?" Maryse asked, silencing our laughs.

"He's downstairs talking to Clary's parents."

She sighed. "All right well we don't have time to wait for them. Let's just get started."

I shrank down in my chair, suddenly feeling like I was back in school. I let my hair fall in front of my face, hoping Maryse wouldn't call on me to answer any questions.

"Valentine and Jonathan know where we are. That means they can attack whenever they want. We need to be prepared. Alec, Isabelle, Robert, I want you to train Clary and Jace _immediately. _We can't afford to waste anymore time."

I looked down at my frail body. I was in no shape to train. Everyone around me was so big. Even Isabelle. It was a little strange to see such big muscles on a girl but she made it work.

How the hell did I inherit these Shadowhunter genes and still be so incredibly small?

And by the look Isabelle gave me when she heard Maryse say she could help train us, I knew I was in some big trouble. I was going to be murdered.

"But if he knows where we are," Isabelle began, "why did he attack that boy instead of us?"

Everyone turned to me and stared. It was almost like they were entomologists and I was the tiny ant being gawked at under a magnifying glass.

"He's my best friend," I said.

"He's taunting her," Robert said. "Is there anyone else you feel really close to?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Camille, Magnus, Luke." _Jace_.

"Anyone else?"

"Not that I can think of."

Isabelle began to giggle lightly. But when everyone glared at her she stopped. "Wait, were you being serious?"

I rolled my eyes. Welcome back to high school.

"Well, I'm sure they can protect themselves but we'll keep an eye on them for you."

I nodded. "Thanks."

I looked over at Jace and he caught my gaze. He smiled and I smiled back at him.

I zoned out when they started talking about ideas of how to protect the Institute. This was obviously a conversation for only the ones who were trained.

I thought about that prophecy again. It was obviously real. I tried to connect the words to events that happened.

_As I look down from the sky,_

_Two warriors are at risk._

Shadowhunters: warriors of the night. At least that was what the Codex said. It had to be Jace and I.

_There is a boy among the cluster_

_Who has control over the blade._

I took a wild guess and said the boy was Jonathan. That was the only child of Valentine we mentioned today. Magnus said he had more than one child so there could be more. But for right now, Jonathan was a suspect.

_Do not worry, you will not fail,_

_For the Herondales will prevail._

Heronadales. It kind of sounded like another supernatural creature. Maybe they were mentioned in the Codex. Jace and I just didn't see it.

But it also sounded like a name. Herondales. Were they who we were supposed to be looking for?

"Clary? You coming?"

I looked up to see everyone leaving the room. I guess the meeting was over.

I got up and walked with Jace down the hall.

"So, are you excited to start training tomorrow?"

I scoffed. "Not exactly."

Jace laughed. "Me neither. But I guess we don't really have a choice."

I shrugged it off. "Whatever. We'll get through it. Goodnight, Jace."

"'Night, Clary."

And then we went to our rooms.

I plugged my headphones into my ears and flipped to a song I liked. Then, I took the Codex and tried to look for any sign of the Herondales.

As I looked, I got distracted by the words Mortal Instruments. I remembered I drew them once. Magnus gave me a short explanation of what they were. But as I read about them in the book, I realized why they were so important.

The mortal cup or the Angel's Cup was used to create the first Nephilim when the word was being overrun by demons. Men's blood mixed with Raziel's blood. Then a selected handful of humans drank from the cup and were transformed.

The mortal sword or the Angel Blade was given to the Nephilim. The Inquisitor used it in trials to test whether a Shadowhunter was lying.

If the blade was only used to tell whether one of us were lying, why was Jonathan keeping it to himself? What could he do with it?

And then the mirror or Mirror of Dreams. It was the entrance to Idris. Anyone who uses it appears in front of Lake Lyn, the lake Raziel rose from. Ever since he did, it was said to be cursed to Shadowhunters.

I closed the book then, thoughts twisting and turning inside my head.

Jonathan was already holding the mortal sword. Well, what if he and Valentine weren't after me at all? What if they were after the rest of the instruments?

I knew I had a dream about it once. If I could just draw it out, it'd be much clearer. But I was completely out of paper. Go figure.

I put the book back on the nightstand, deciding not to stress about it. I had to get up early the next morning for training.

I turned the light off and allowed the music to sing to me as I relaxed.

The music created pictures in my head, most of them just reminding me of Simon and his band covering them.

And before I knew it, I was dreaming.

I saw Simon. We were in the woods, just hanging out. He was telling me when he band would be playing again and then he turned to look at me and his eyes changed.

The color was gone. It was all white, the same way it was when he was changed.

His fangs came out and then he pounced on me. And before I could imagine what he would do to me, I was awake.

I tried to catch my breath as I told myself it was only a dream. Just a dream.

And then I realized my problem.

Eyes of the Devil by Seether was blasting in my ears.

Annoyed, I turned my iPod off and looked at the time. It was quarter to three in the morning.

I closed my eyes again and tried to go back to sleep. But I kept seeing Simon's vampire face. It was literally impossible to think about. That's like someone telling me, "Ok, Clary. Close your eyes and think of anything else but death." Obviously, I'm going to think about death.

Groaning, I sat up and turned the light on.

I went to grab my sketchbook but there was no more paper. I kept forgetting that. "Fuck."

After about twenty minutes, I got up and went to the only person I could go to at this point.

I knocked on his door as loudly as I dared. "Jace? Wake up, it's important."

The door opened up and there he stood in boxers and a black wife beater. "Hey."

I tried to look past the fact that he was more than half naked. "You too, huh?"

"Yep. C'mon."

I walked in, nervously fiddling with my hair. I hoped I didn't have bed-head.

I sat down on the bed and pulled my legs under me as Jace sat on the other side.

I could feel him looking at me, probably waiting for me to say something. But I didn't. I just kept my eyes on my hands, too tired to make useless conversation.

"Are you ok? You've got goose bumps all over."

I shrugged. "Yeah. It's just cold."

He chuckled. "You're allowed to use the blanket, you know."

I slid under it quickly and hugged it around my shoulders.

"Are you sure everything's ok? You're really quiet."

I nodded. "I'm fine. I just want some quiet, that's all."

Jace slid under the blanket and lay his head down on the pillow, pulling me down with him.

I closed my eyes tiredly. And even though I was the one who asked for quiet, I couldn't stand it any longer.

"Hey, Jace?" I said, opening my eyes."

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry about what I said in the library. You were right. I shouldn't have been dwelling on some stupid date while our lives were at stake. I was just mad."

Jace sighed. "But I shouldn't have hit you. You know, it's actually illegal for a guy to hit a girl."

"You didn't hit me, you pushed me. There's a difference."

"Still, it qualifies as abuse."

I laughed into the pillow. "_Abuse?_ Please! I barely felt anything!"

"That's your reply? Aren't you gonna say you're sorry for hitting me too?"

I pretended to think. "Nah. You needed some color in your face anyway." And then I slapped him again.

"You bitch!"

He grabbed my sides and began to tickle me and I had to bite the insides of my cheeks and shove my head into my pillow to keep from waking everyone up with my squeals.

"Jace…stop! I c…an't breathe!" I was laughing so hard, my stomach hurt.

"I'm sorry," Jace whispered in my ear. "I didn't catch that. What did you say?"

I moved my hands, trying to protect myself as I shook with laughter. "Stop it! Jace, I can't take it!"

Finally, his fingers paused and we both sat there chuckling and trying to catch our breath.

"Apologize!" he demanded.

"I'm sorry, Jace!"

He removed his hands and fixed the blanket so it covered us again. "Better."

I was about to close my eyes again when Jace said, "Clary, can I ask you something?"

"Sure." I said it without hesitation. I felt like I could share anything with him at this point. "But only if I can ask you something in return."

He thought for a moment. Then he smiled. "Deal."

I nodded. "What's your question?"

"Why were you crying? When you were staying at my house? I came in to make sure you were awake and you just started crying out of no where."

I covered my face and groaned. "Ugh! That's so embarrassing!"

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about," he said lightly. "Just tell me. Did you really mean it when you said it wasn't about our fight? Or was it because of something else?"

I sighed as I tried to narrow it down to one specific thing. "You know, I'm not sure. I guess it was everything. I mean, me and my mom were fighting, we still are, we were constantly being attacked by demons, your mom told me I couldn't go back home and then we had our fight on top of all that nonsense." I shook my head. "It was just too much for me to handle."

"I just wanted to know. 'Cause if I said something that was still bothering you, I-"

"Jace," I interrupted. "We already had this conversation. I forgave you and you forgave me. We're ok now."

He smiled. "Good. Because I don't like fighting with you."

"Neither do I."

There was a moment of silence and then I ruined it by laughing. "God, we are so cheesy."

"Oh, who cares? No one's watching. What was your question?"

I swallowed, hoping he wouldn't get mad. "What happened with you and Maryse that has you so upset with your family?"

Jace groaned lightly and mumbled the word, "Fuck."

"You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

"No, it's ok. It's just bugging me is all."

"What is it?"

He sighed. "I'm adopted."

I sat up. "And they're just now telling you this? Oh my god! You're like, eighteen!"

"And you wanna know what the worst part is?"

My eyebrows lifted questioningly.

"They don't know who my parents are."

I covered my mouth with my hand. "Oh, Jace! I'm so sorry!"

"Don't be sorry. It's not your fault."

"We'll find them," I said. "I swear it."

Jace smiled. "Please, Clary. Don't get my hopes up."

I narrowed my eyes as I thought. Jace didn't believe me when I said we'd find them. Because we would. There's no way a kid can go walking around with no surname.

"Clary?"

I looked at Jace.

"Will you stay here tonight?"

"Duh. You actually thought I was gonna leave? The floor's too cold to be walking around barefoot. I would've stayed whether you wanted me to or not."

I laughed lightly as I slid back under the blanket.

"I always want you."

What started out as an attempt at creating some levity, ended very seriously.

"I always want you too."

And there was that awkward moment again. We both just admitted we had feelings for one another. So, why weren't we making out while ripping each other's clothes off?

"We should probably go to sleep now," I said. "We've got an early start tomorrow morning."

"Yeah, you're right. 'Night, Clary."

"'Night, Jace."

And then we turned over so our backs were facing each other and fell asleep.

My dream was weird.

It was with Jace and I. But the scene kept changing.

First, we were at the movies, sharing popcorn and whispering sweet nothings in our ears.

Then, we were in his room, our mouths glued together and his hands roaming my body. He fondled my chest, each pinch sending a wave of excitement down to my crotch.

He removed my shirt and unbuttoned my jeans and then my whole body began to vibrate with content.

Then, the scene changed again which really pissed me off. We were holding hands, and walking in a field of grass, laughing at some stupid joke one of us had said. We stopped on a hill and laid a blanket down and had a picnic.

The sun that was shining brightly flickered like a light bulb until it was dark. And once the darkness came, Jace disappeared.

I stood up from my spot, wind blowing my hair in every direction. "Jace? Where are you?"

I ran down the hill, the wind becoming stronger and stronger. It was coming from a lake. A lake that I'm sure I'd seen before.

It was Lake Lyn.

"Jace! Tell me where you are!"

But there was no reply. And for a moment, I thought I was alone. But then I felt a hand on my shoulder.

It wasn't Jace. It was someone, who had much more power than he did.

His touch sent goose bumps through me. But I wasn't scared. He was good. He was helping me. Giving me His advice.

"_Listen carefully, for what I say has great value."_

I nodded and closed my eyes as he began to whisper in my ear.

"_There's evil in your heart,_

_And it wants out to play._

_Don't let it go too far,_

_I know it sounds cliché._

_Clarissa, my dear child,_

_You are a strong fighter._

_The darkness in you is wild_

_But your companion_

_Will make you brighter._

_The two of you together,_

_I've never seen such strength._

_Though darkness will not sever,_

_Love is at arm's length._

_Do not lose you ally,_

_His own destiny awaits._

_There comes a time when he will die,_

_But you must go against fate."_

The sound of someone pounding on Jace's door, woke me.

I lay there, somehow being wrapped in Jace's arms breathing heavily.

Jace groaned and looked at the door. "Who the fuck is that? It's way too early in the friggin morning."

He went to get up but I clamped my hand down on his arm, too afraid of what was going to happen. He was going to die. "Don't go!"

"I'll be right back," he said tiredly and wiggled from my grip.

"No!"

He opened the door and I tensed, not sure what I would do if he were in trouble.

But I relaxed when I saw it was only Isabelle.

Sighing with relief, I closed my eyes again and planned to go back to sleep.

"C'mon, Jace. You've got to train. And have you seen Clary? She wasn't…Holy shit! Jace, what in the world were you two up to last night?"

I peeked my eyes open and saw Isabelle smirking with her hands on her hips.

Jace shushed her and talked lightly enough that I couldn't hear. After a while, Isabelle said, "You know, if you were anyone else, I would demand to know what was in it for me. But you're lucky I'm a good sister. I won't say anything. But you two better hurry up. If Maryse finds out, she'll flip her shit."

"Yeah, I got it Izzy. Thanks."

"Yep."

Jace came back into the room. "C'mon. It's time to train."

Groaning, I got out of bed, shivering when my warm feet hit the cold floor. "Ok. I'll go get dressed and meet you in the gym."

"Sounds good."

**So, what'd you think? Not to toot my own horn or anything but that prophecy was pretty damn good! Lol I actually made an effort this time as opposed to just writing down words like I did before.**

**Oh, and some more coolness: I made a tumblr! It's still Judailuvr911. If you want, you can follow me and I can put up better previews of the next chapter instead of trying to make the excerpt fit into a tweet lol. Let me know in a review! You guys think that'd be cool?**

**Review plz!**

**l**

**l**

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	18. Chapter 18

**Hey guys! Sorry this chapter is up late, Fanfiction wasn't cooperating last night lol but here's chapter 18. Enjoy!**

On the way to my room, I chewed on my nails vigorously, which was bad. They were already short so when I started chewing, they began to bleed.

Isabelle had seen us. Together. In bed.

Her imagination probably made the situation a hell of a lot less innocent than it actually was.

Focusing on taking slow deep breaths, I pulled out a pair of black yoga pants and an old tank top.

I walked into the bathroom to put my hair in a ponytail but only after splashing myself with cold water. I hoped it would help get rid of the heat in my cheeks.

Anyone who knew me coult tell when something strange happened through my blush.

After pulling myself together, I made my way to the gym.

I met Jace just outside the doors. "Isabelle didn't give you too much trouble, did she?"

H shook his head. "No, she was pretty cool about it."

"So, you don't think we should be worried?"

"Not at all. Isabelle's nothing if not loyal."

Though I didn't know Isabelle, well, I trusted Jace. He said not to worry so I didn't.

"You ready?" he asked.

I sighed. "Yeah, I guess."

When we walked in, we saw Isabelle attached to a harness at about thirty feet in the air.

"Ready?" Alec called.

Isabelle gave him a thumbs up.

Alec backed up a few steps.

"What the hell are you doing?" I asked almost hysterically. "You're gonna get yourself killed."

"Watch and learn, Mundane," was her only reply.

"What does that even mean?" I muttered to Jace.

Jace shrugged, not taking his eyes off the scene.

Alec counted down from three. "Three, two, one!" And on one, Jace and I tensed as Alec let go of he harness and Isabelle flipped expertly and landed on her feet gracefully.

Her ankle had to be broken. It had to be. There was no way that a human could fall from thirty feet in the air and not break something.

And there it was again. The moment when I realized that we're not human. We were Shadowhunters. We were warriors.

Isabelle stood there, her weight shifted on to one foot and arms crossed. I wasn't sure if she was doing that to show off her breasts that were already popping out of her sports bra or if she was being cocky. Probably both.

I guess she was waiting for a praise. I sure as hell wasn't giving her one.

I thought about saying something, just because it was a nice thing to do. But I didn't want Isabelle's head to expand any more than it already has.

Alec helped her get out of her harness. "You guys want to try it next?"

"Oh, no," Isabelle interrupted, "that's way too advanced for them. They need to start with something a little basic."

"Iz, that was the first thing I learned."

She smacked his shoulder, hard.

I rolled my eyes. I swear, this is just like high school. What goes around comes around. I just had to remember that.

"Can we just start all ready. I don't want Maryse or Robert thinking we're just fooling around."

Isabelle glared at me but before she could say anything, Alec took control again.

"We'll start with cardio. Build up your upper body strength."

He walked us over to the punching bag and then gave us a pair of gloveds to wear. "So, before we start-"

"I'll teach you some easy defense moves," Isabelle interrupted (surprise, surprise). "Alec, hold the bag for me."

But he didn't move. He only shook his head slowly.

"What?"

"Do you have anything else to do? Didn't you say you were going to see Meliorn to end things with him? If you go do that, I'll cover for you."

She lifted a brow. "Are you…? You're trying to get rid of me, aren't you?"

"You just seem a little stressed. Just relax for a while. Get your nails down or something."

Rolling her eyes, she ripped her gloves off and threw them at his feet. Then, she stormed out.

And I stood there and stared after her. I wondered what exactly I did to tick her off so much.

When we first met, I knew Isabelle would take a little getting use to but I was willing to try. And I don't remember doing anything terribly wrong to her. So, why did she hate me so much? Weren't we on the same side?

"Don't worry about it, Clary," Alec said. "She just gets like that sometimes."

"_Sometimes?_" I repeated. "From what I've seen it's all the time."

Alec pulled out his iPhone.

"What are you doing?" Jace asked.

"Counting the next twenty-eight days she'll be pissed again."

I threw my head back and howled in laughter as Jace scrunched his face up and yelled at Alec about how gross that was.

He taught us some punches, blocks and kicks. They weren't hard to do. But when you tried to hit the bag, it made things much more difficult. At least for me anyway. Jace was amazing.

He hit the bag so hard, Alec had to hold the bag in place and _still_ ask him to hit a little lighter because he was jolting Alec around.

Of course, when I tried it, all I felt was a large pain in my muscles and a big bruise on my ass from all the times I fell.

"That's alright," Alec said as he helped me up. "You've got the right form, we just have to strengthen you up."

We only spent about an hour on the bag. After that, Alec took us to the wall and said he'd teach us how to climb it.

"Wall climbing was the first thing I mastered. I think it's a good place to start because everything you use for wall climbing, you use for the more complicated stunts."

I swallowed. Yep, this is totally high school, I thought. And this part would be gym class. If only I could hide in the locker room like I used to.

"It enhances your balance," Alec continued, "your reflexes and it makes good use for all of your muscles. Clary, wanna go first?"

I slipped behind Jace. "Nope, but I think this guy does!"

"No, I went first last time," Jace laughed as he pushed me forward.

Sighing, I stepped forward and allowed Alec to put the harness on me. I just knew I was going to embarrass myself.

Unsteadily, I pulled myself onto the first couple of grips but once I got to about Jace's height, I jumped back to the ground. "I don't think this is gonna work."

Alec and Jace laughed as if it were a joke but I was being completely serious. I was weak and frail. I was in no shape to climb a 360 inch wall.

"Just go, Clary. You were off to a good start."

I figured they'd never let me go until I climbed the wall, so I got back on.

I was about ten feet up when the grips started to spread out. Did I not mention how small I was? How was I supposed to reach them?

"Keep going!" Jace called. "You're doing great."

Their praises were nice gut getting old. There was only so many ways you could say how great a person was. They eventually resorted to singing classic rock songs.

"_Mamma! Oooooh!_

_I didn't mean to make you cry!_

_If I'm not back again this time tomorrow,_

_Carry on, carry on, as if nothing really matters."_

I couldn't help but chuckle a little.

Though their voices weren't perfect, it was almost like listening to my iPod. So, I could focus better.

I pretended that the wall was the old tree behing my old house. I climbed that thing all the time. Every day, I'd always make it a foot higher. Until finally, one of the branches snapped and I broke my arm.

"You're about twenty feet up no," Alec said after a couple of minutes. "I know the grips are getting a little tough to reach. You wanna quit."

I should've said no. But I didn't. "Nah, I'm gonna keep going."

The boys cheered me on and started singing American Woman.

I stretched my arms and legs as long as they could go to the other grips. Half the time, I was barely making it. But I was making progress. And I was almost to the top when my fingers slipped and I started falling.

But before I had enough time to open my mouth and scream, Alec had stopped the fall by pulling on the other side of the rope.

"You ok?" Alec called up to me.

"Yeah, I'm good."

"Ok, I'm gonna bring you down now."

"Slowly."

"Of course."

I relaxed as I was lowered back down to the ground. I couldn't wait to rub in Isabelle's face how incredibly _basic_ wall climbing was.

I got out of my harness and let Jace give it a try.

Of course, he did it much faster than I did and a lot more professional-looking. He was half way up in about five minutes, when it took me ten.

"He's really fast," I said.

Alec nodded in agreement. "Yeah, he's pretty good for a tyro."

What _couldn't_ Jace do?

Once Jace was finished making me look bad (unintentionally of course), Alec took us back to the punching bag and showed us how balance was used in wall climbing.

"Yes, the bag is heavy," Alec said, "which is why I wanted to have you try the wall before this. If you're not careful, the weight of the bag can throw you off your feet."

I blushed as I recounted how many times I fell.

"When you're doing your kicks, you want to be light on your feet. While you're in the air, try to act like you have to land on a thin piece of platform like one of the grips. You have to shift your weight which helps you stick on the ground."

Jace and I held a similar confused look.

"Here, like this." Alec jumped up, kicked the bag and then landed lightly on the balls of his feet. "We'll practice that for the next couple days. And when you think you've mastered it, we'll try to make it a little more complicated. Like this."

Alec jumped again, kicked the bag but before landing, he flipped in the air, like Isabelle did while flying from the wall. "That move makes more damage than the other and allows you to get out of the way quickly if your opponent is a fast mover."

"When will we get to the weapons?" Jace asked.

Alec and I chuckled. "I've been waiting for you to ask that question. That's _way_ down the road. We won't be doing that for a while. Sorry."

Jace shrugged.

"Well, that's all for today. Go shower up. I can smell breakfast cooking. I'll meet you guys down there later."

Jace and I left the gym while Alec stayed to put all of the equipment back.

"That was a good first day," Jace said next to me. "Besides, Isabelle, I mean."

I nodded. "Yeah, I guess it wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be."

We started to climb the steps.

"So, I was thinking," Jace began, "that maybe you could come to my room again tonight. To read the Codex."

"Oh, sure. I keep forgetting there's only one copy," I laughed. "But only on one condition."

"What's that?"

"We sleep in separate rooms. I don't want to get in trouble with Maryse. Or worse. Isabelle."

Jace groaned. "I told you, Isabelle's cool."

"To you, maybe, but she hates me. And don't try to deny it. You saw what she did today."

When we reached my room, I could hear music playing from somewhere.

"Yeah, that was a little weird."

I rolled my eyes. "I think 'a little weird' is a bit too polite but whatever. I'll see you in a couple minutes."

"Ok."

I stepped inside my room and pulled out some fresh clothes to wear after my shower.

I was about to pull out my hair tie but then stopped suddenly.

I turned around and opened the door. Jace was gone. Probably already in his room. Alec must've been finishing up in the gym.

I stepped out and headed down to the other side of the hall.

As I neared Isabelle's room, I figured out what song was playing.

Nothing Else Matters by Metallica.

It was a good song and I'm glad Isabelle isn't a complete idiot when it comes to music. But I couldn't help but roll my eyes.

I knew she didn't like me but it really wasn't _that_ serious.

I pounded on the door, hoping it would overpower the loud music. "Isabelle, can you hear me? Open up, I need to talk to you."

When I didn't get an answer, I knocked again. "Isabelle!"

She opened the door and pulled me inside and then walked over to her dresser where I guess she was before.

"We need to talk," I said, wishing she'd turn off the music.

"What?" she asked.

"Wee need to talk," I repeated louder.

"Can't hear you."

I grabbed the remote and turned the music off. "Jesus, Isabelle!"

She slammed the drawer shut. "Fine! You've got my attention so what the _fuck_ do you want?"

I sighed. "Look, I didn't come here to yell at you. I just wanted to ask you something."

She raised her arms and then slapped them at her sides. "What?"

"Why do you hate me so much?"

She scoffed. "By the Angel, you are so stupid! Don't you understand? It's because you've got your head in the clouds and you don't even know it!"

I tried not to look angry as she explained.

"All everyone cares about is you! Keep Clary safe. She's clairvoyant, keep a good eye on her. They're all making such a big deal out of you but even _you_ don't see the reason for it!"

I tilted my head to the side as I tried to understand.

"I saw the way you came in this morning in the training room. You looked like a freshmen on their first day of high school. And when you saw me on the wall? You thought I was doing some stunt you see on that stupid TV show _Scarred_."

"What does this have to do with anything?" I asked.

"You act like we're human! We're not! We're Shadowhunters! I don't know why that's so hard for you to grasp. This isn't a dream, this is real. There's a psycho after you and my brother. We don't have time to lollygag. I need you-no, _we_ need you to step your game up."

I crossed my arms.

"Because as much as I hate to admit it, we need you. Even though you're not fully trained yet, you have powers. Use them to help us. Because I _refuse_ to lose my brother now."

And in the end, it turned out she was right. I made the effort to figure out all the secrets kept from me about who I was and once I found out, I didn't do anything about it. That had to change. Because it wasn't just my life that depended on it. It was everyone else's too.

"What, are you just gonna stand there and stare at me all day? Get out."

I blinked, slowly bringing myself from my thoughts. "Oh, sorry." I cleared my throat. "Um…I'll see you at breakfast."

Not wanting to run into Alec or Jace, I raced back to my room and took a quick shower.

My hair was still drying when I showed up at the table for breakfast.

I took my usual seat between Alec and Jace.

Maryse made French bread casserole with scrambled eggs and bacon on the side. You could always count on Maryse to bring something creative to the table.

Isabelle showed up late as usual.

I tensed for a moment, wondering if she would glare at me for the entire time we ate, but luckily for me, she acted as if the discussion we had never happened.

"So, how was your first day of training, guys?" Robert asked.

I looked at Jace and he silently asked me to answer. Things were still complicated with him and his family.

"Well," I said after swallowing a mouthful of casserole, "it's obvious that I've got a lot of work to do but this guy," I indicated Jace "did pretty well."

Then, I realized that probably did help Jace get off the radar.

"Really? Jace, how have-"

"And Isabelle," I interrupted, getting everyone's attention again, "Isabelle was pretty awesome too. She was freefalling from thirty feet up and landed on her feet like it was nothing."

Isabelle rolled her eyes.

Alec spoke up then which helped me relax. "Then I showed them how to wall climb. Clary was really good. She was swinging off the grips like Tarzan."

Robert chuckled. "It sounds like you got off with a good start."

I exhaled silently and looked over at Jace. He smiled at me and squeezed my hand. I squeezed it back.

After breakfast, I was about to walk with Jace but Maryse asked me to stay.

She waited until Alec, Jace and Isabelle were gone to ask, "How have you been, sweetie?"

I shrugged. "A little homesick but other than that, I'm fine."

She nodded. "That's understandable. You'll get used to the place after a while."

I smiled. "I know."

"Not to be rude, but have you seen anything? Like, any dreams or visions? It doesn't matter if it seems unconstructive, it might mean something."

I thought about the prophecy Raziel had given me. It was extremely important. But I got the feeling that if I told anyone about it, something bad would happen. So, I said nothing about it.

"No, not yet. Usually they come in dreams, but lately I've been so tired. I don't even remember anything."

Maryse rubbed my shoulder. "That's alright. Here, Robert got another drawing book for you."

I took it. It was much more fancier than the other one. The cover was made of brown leather. It had black swirls around the edges. It was beautiful. And expensive. "A simple sketchbook from the Dollar Store would've been fine."

Maryse shrugged. "We don't do anything half-assed around here."

I laughed and gently traced the binding of the book with my index finger. "Thank you."

"It's the least we could do."

I walked away, trying not to look to eager to draw in it. But I think I made it pretty obvious by how fast I booked it out of there.

Just holding the book, I could feel my fingers tingling and the images in my head. I couldn't understand them but I knew if I took my pencil and drew it, things would start to clear up.

Pouncing on my bed, I grabbed my pencil and started scribbling like crazy.

I shaded some spots and erased others. I had no idea what I was doing. I just let my hands take over as images fluttered in my brain.

When my hands stopped, I realized that I drew two pictures. So, I started with the first one.

Jonathan was sitting on a field of grass and was sweating like crazy. His eyes were still dark. But there was something different about them. Something that I couldn't quite grasp.

When I first drew him, his eyes were certainly _not_ human. They were so dark. I could _feel_ his anger ripping through me as I stared at them. I've never seen so much evil and rage in someone. Not even in Camille.

But in this picture, they were different. What was it? They weren't lighter. I just felt different when I looked at them. I felt…nervous? Scared maybe?

In his hands was Raziel's cup. But then I noticed something odd.

There were three hands on the cup. Last time I checked, I only had two arms.

And then I figured it out.

The third hand was Valentine. He was forcing Jonathan to drink whatever was in the cup. That's why he's afraid!

Jonathan wasn't bad at all! He was brainwashed!

Smiling, I turned the page. But when I did, my smile faded.

Jace was lying on the ground, blood pouring out of him. I had seen this picture as well. It was one of the first "visions" I had.

And a demon was standing over him.

From what I read in the Codex, I guessed it was an Abaddon. Only they had the sharp bones protruding from their greenish-bluish skin.

_Do not lose your ally_

_His own destiny awaits._

_There is a time where he will die,_

_But you must go against fate._

At least now, I knew what to look out for.

I looked at the time. It was five minutes after eleven.

Grabbing my phone, I dialed Magnus's number, hoping he'd pick up.

He did on the second ring. "Hey, Clary. I heard you had your first day of training today. Did you kick some ass?"

I laughed. "Not exactly."

"Ah, you'll get there one day. I just really wanna see somebody beat Isabelle. I'm tired of her beating on Alec. If I find one more bruise-"

"Magnus?"

"Sorry. What's up?"

I looked down at the picture of Jonathan. "Um, I was wondering if you could take me to my apartment. I would walk there but I don't want to be seen by anyone."

"Sure. Can I ask why?"

"Well, I just drew this picture and I think it'll change things. So, I wanted to ask my mother if she knew anything. She was acting a little weird when I last talked to her yesterday."

"Ok. I'll be over there in a minute."

"Ok. Thanks, Magnus."

"No, problem."

I hung up the phone and looked at the picture and shook my head as I thought.

Jocelyn thought she could hide things from me. I saw the way she reacted when I mentioned Jonathan. She knew something. And this time, I wasn't just going to shrug it off as if it were nothing. I was going to find out what it was she was keeping from me.

**Uh-oh some more secrets. Tsk tsk tsk Stick around cuz next chapter we'll find out what exactly it is Luke and Jocelyn are hiding. Any predictions?**

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	19. Chapter 19

**Hey guys! So, I didn't post a preview cuz i didn't see a lot of reviews :( maybe this time we can do better! I hope you guys liked this chapter! lol it took me _so_ long for me to write it**

I felt like a ten year old girl again as I crept down the stairs quietly. I hugged my new sketchbook to myself.

I thought Maryse and Robert were still in the kitchen but found the room empty.

And there was Church, lying under the dining table. When he caught my eye, he looked away and began to lick his paw.

I crawled under next to him.

He hissed at me but once I began to run my fingers through his soft coating of fur, he began to purr.

"We got off at the wrong foot, didn't we?"

Church replied by grinding the side of his body into the palm of my hand.

"Will you get mad if I ask you to show me where Maryse and Robert are?"

He gave a soft "meow" and then began walking.

I crawled out from under the table and followed him down the hallway.

We stopped in front of the doors of the library.

"Thanks, Church."

He circled around my ankles and then went off to do whatever it was he was doing before.

After knocking lightly, I peeked my head into the door.

"Hey, Clary." Robert greeted. "Come in."

I walked in and closed the door behind me. "I just wanted to ask if I could go out with Magnus for a while. We'll lay low, I just wanted to talk with him for a bit."

Maryse seemed a little hesitant, which I expected but then Robert said, "Of course. Just be careful."

"Will do. Thanks." And then I left before Maryse could stop me.

I had just walked in the elevator when the Church bells went off.

The elevator groaned and creaked as it lowered me down to the first floor. I hoped it wouldn't break.

After getting off safely, I answered the door, smiling at Magnus's new outfit.

He wore a tight fishnet shirt and a red streak in his bangs to match the color and split skinny jeans. One leg was black and the other was red.

I laughed. "So much for being invisible."

"I suppose it is a bit eye striking. But do you like it?"

"I do!" I said as I ushered him inside. "And I'm sure Alec will too."

Magnus turned around slowly. "Alec is still trying to find the right time to tell everyone so, if you-"

"Oh! Sorry, I didn't know. I won't tell anyone, I promise."

"Thank you."

I nodded. "So, how are we doing this?"

"A portal of course," answered Magnus.

I couldn't help but feel excited. The first time I jumped through a portal, I was nervous. But it was fun.

"Damn, Clary. I thought you would've been used to the idea by now. Isn't that why you called me?"

I blushed. "Not exactly. I called you because I know you're the only one who trusts that I know what I'm doing."

"Aw, how sweet." Magnus ruffled my hair. "Where's you room?"

We took the elevator to the third floor and then walked to my room.

"So, you're making the portal in here?" I asked.

"Yep."

"That's creative."

"Isn't it?" He opened the closet door and did whatever warlocks do when casting a spell. Then after a few minutes he called me over.

I stood next to him in front of the portal.

"You remember what to do, right?" he asked.

"Yeah, I remember." I closed my eyes and imagined I was standing in my room. My cheap curtains in front of my window, my unmade bed, dirty clothes piled on the floor, everything.

"I think you've got it," said Magnus.

"Ok, I'm ready."

"Alright, on the count of three. One, two, three!"

And then we stepped into the portal.

It was like we were on a rollercoaster. I had the sudden urge to sing Free Falling by Tom Petty.

"I think you're enjoying this a little too much."

I laughed. "I can't help it!"

He chuckled. "Look. Is that it?"

I could see a little dark spot getting closer and closer. I could tell by how messy the bed was, it was mine. "Yeah, that's it."

"Ok. Bend your knees."

I did. And then we landed in my room. "Sweet! Oh, Magnus that was so awesome!"

A second later, Luke ran in. "Oh, it's just you."

Magnus smirked. "Expecting someone else, Luke?"

"I need to talk to you. Is Mom here?" I asked.

"She'll be home from work in a few minutes. Why, is something wrong?"

I shrugged. "That's what you're going to tell me."

He lifted a brow questioningly. But I didn't give anything away.

I had Magnus sit with Luke at the dinner table as I made a cup of coffee.

I must've had an odd look on my face because Magnus kept glancing at me, like he was worried I'd injure myself.

When I finished making my coffee, I made my way over to the table.

"Is everything ok?" Luke asked.

I didn't answer. I just pulled my hair back into a ponytail and took a long sip of my coffee, which was _way_ too hot. I just hoped the pain wasn't evident on my face.

I was tempted to take a flashlight and shine it in his eyes as I asked my questions. "How do you feel about our relationship, Lucian?"

"Lucian?"

"Answer the question." Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Magnus smile but he covered his mouth and stayed silent. I suppose I was taking this a bit too seriously.

"Uh…I think we have a good relationship. Don't you agree?" he asked.

Shrugging, I took another sip of coffee, this time being more careful.

"You wanna tell me what's going on now?"

I laughed humorlessly. "Oh, you know damn well what's going on."

"How many cups of coffee have you had, Clary?"

"Luke!"

Magnus fell into hysterical laughter as Jocelyn walked in.

"Clary, you're home!" she cried happily.

Sighing I flopped into the nearest chair.

Jocelyn kissed me on the forehead and sat next to Luke. "What's so funny?"

"Clary!" Magnus said though his laughs. He couldn't even form a whole sentence. Tears were beginning to fall down his cheeks.

I rolled my eyes and waited for him to regain his composure.

He took multiple deep breaths until he was calm. "Ok, I'm finished. Continue."

I drank more coffee. That epic fail wiped me out. "Ok, I'm not gonna play around anymore. I'll just go right to it."

Magnus got out his last few chuckles as Luke nodded. "Ok, go on."

"How do you know Jonathan?"

"Jonathan who?" he asked. If it weren't for Jocelyn's face, I would've feel for it.

"Don't try to play me!" I yelled. "I know you know who I'm talking about!"

"I'm sorry, but I really don't, Clary." His voice was so soft, His eyes looked sad and he gently laid his hand on top of mine like he always does when he's worried about me.

He put on a good act. But I didn't believe it.

Deciding that Luke wasn't going to break, I looked at Jocelyn. Once I did, here eyes widened slightly. She knew that I would pull the secret out of her. And she was afraid. "Tell me how you know Jonathan."

Jocelyn didn't say anything but there was that look again. She looked like she was shivering a little and her green eyes were shimmering with the information I needed.

"Mom,' I said as gently as I could, "please. Tell me?"

"Jocelyn," Luke warned.

Magnus glared at Luke, telling him to shut up.

I took out my new sketchbook and showed her the picture of Jonathan. "Mom, look. I drew this today. It's Jonathan, isn't it?"

She nodded.

"You see that look in his eyes? Do you?"

She nodded again, her own eyes filling with tears.

"Mom, I almost whispered. "We can still save him. Tell me who he is."

"Clary, please!" Luke yelled. "Don't. Jocelyn-"

"Shut up, Lucian!" Magnus interrupted.

Jocelyn looked up from her hands, a tear rolling down her face as she did, "He's your brother."

Everything stopped then. Time stopped. We were all stuck in one position. All sitting unnaturally still, just staring at each other.

I was waiting for Ashton Kutcher to jump out and say, "You've just been Punk'd!"

But nothing happened. This was real. It all made sense now.

Jonathan and I were siblings. Jonathan was Valentine's son. I was Valentine's daughter. That's why he wanted me.

"Clary?"

It was like someone hit the play button on the remote control when Luke spoke. But I almost didn't hear him. It was like there was water in my ears.

"Talk to me. Are you ok?"

Was I ok? Physically, yes. Emotionally, no. I was pissed. But not at Luke ore Jocelyn. At Valentine.

This wasn't just about killing demons or serving Raziel anymore. This was personal. No one messed my family and got away with it.

I stood up and hugged my mother. There wasn't enough time to be mad at her. "Thanks Mom. I love you. Let's go, Magnus."

Magnus stood slowly, never taking his eyes off me.

"Where are you going?" Luke and Jocelyn asked.

"To the Institute. I've gotta tell the guys. We're gonna save Jonathan."

"No!" Jocelyn said. "Clary, just stay here. You're not ready. Wait until your calm before you go."

"Don't worry, I'm fine. I'll be back."

We walked into my room and closed the door.

"Are you sure you're ok?" Magnus asked.

I nodded. "I guess I have to be, right?"

"No, not right. I know things are complicated right now, but it's ok to be selfish at times. So tell me, are you ok?"

I sighed. "No."

Magnus put his hand on my shoulder and played with the curls at the end.

"Just make the portal, Magnus."

He smiled. "You're a strong girl." and then he started the portal.

When we were back at the Institute, Magnus sat with me in my room for a few minutes.

"Everything's gonna be ok," Magnus said as I lay my head on his shoulder. "We'll find Jonathan and make sure he's safe."

"Is it weird that I feel this way even though we haven't met?"

"Not at all. It just shows how great you are."

I gave him a confused look.

"Don't look at me like that."

"Like what?" I asked.

"Like you have no idea what I'm talking about. You _are_ great. Jonathan's your family," he said. "And you'll do anything for your family. No matter what. And don't try to tell me that that means nothing."

He was right. Jonathan was my family. But for all I know, he really could be a psychopath. Was I really willing to take that risk?"

"Do you think the Lightwoods will kick me out when they find out I'm Valentine's daughter?"

"Oh, Clary!" Magnus began to stroke my hair again. "Is that what you're worried about?"

"I've only had one day of training," I whined. "I'll be dead the minute my foot steps off holy ground."

"First of all, the Lightwods won't throw you out. It's not in their nature to be so cold-hearted. Second of all, I believe you can kick some serious ass on your own."

Well, the Lightwoods _probably_ won't hate me forever. But what about Jace?

To avoid Magnus asking what was on my mind, I tried to laugh it off.

"You won't find anyone who's as accepting as the Lightwoods."

I looked up at Magnus. The tone of his voice surprised me. It sounded more serious than usual. It sounded like Camille's tone which I usually ignored because everything was serious to her. But Magnus was the upbeat one.

He was staring forward as if he were remembering something. It worried me. "Magnus? What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

I scoffed. "_Bullshit._"

He chuckled. "ok. But you'll be the second person_ ever_ to tell this to. And that means a lot because I'm extremely old."

"You keep saying that but it can't be true," I said.

"Honey, I was alive when the Dead Sea was just a lake that was feeling a little poorly."

This time, I laughed for real.

"Seriously."

"C'mon, quit stalling. What were you going to tell me?"

"Well, you seem to be worried about how the Lightwoods will react when you tell them Valentine's your father. But you should be happy that they're not like my parents."

"What were you parents like when you told them?" I asked. "Wait a minute! Shouldn't they have been warlocks too?"

"I dunno. I guess it was just luck. But anyway, my mother hung herself, thinking I was a demon. And a couple months later, my father tried to drown me. I was only fourteen. My powers hadn't fully kicked in yet. But I ended up burning him to death. I don't even know how I did it."

I could only stare at him with my eyes wide. He sait it so quickly and normally. I mean, I know he must've been upset about it before but I was expecting something…I don't know, something more dramatic?

"Consider yourself lucky," Magnus said.

I blinked. "I honestly have no idea what to say to that."

He laughed. "You don't have to say anything."

"Wait," I said. "You said I was the second person you told this to. Who was the first?"

Magnus looked down at his hands for a moment. I'm sure if he wasn't a warlock he would've been blushing. "It was Camille."

I struggled to keep a frown off my face. "Oh." I'm not sure why this upset me. Maybe it was because of the story Magnus told me a while back about how he and Camille used to be a couple. And then he changed his sexuality.

I mean, Alec and Magnus are an awesome couple, too. It's just that I feel so badly for Camille. She still had feelings for Camille. I wanted to comfort her but she literally made it impossible.

"I should probably get going," said Magnus. "Don't stress, Clary. You'll be fine."

"Thanks, Magnus."

"You're welcome. See you later."

I waved as he left the room.

I stayed on the bed and listened to my iPod as I tried to think about what I was going to say, who was going to say it to first.

After about fifteen minutes, I sat up and decided to go to Jace. He was the one I was most worried about. I didn't want to lie to him again but I didn't want him to change his opinion about me if I told him.

Maybe if I was careful about what I said, he wouldn't. It was a big maybe but I had no choice.

I walked to Jace's room and found the door open.

Jace was watching TV and eating a sandwich when I walked in. "Jace?"

He looked up. "Hey, Clary. Did you go somewhere?"

"Yeah, I went out with Magnus for a while."

"No one saw you, did they?"

I shook my head. "No, we took a portal."

"You can do that?"

I laughed. "Yeah, it takes a while to get used to it. Um, do you mind turning the TV off? I have to talk to you about something and it's really important."

He turned it off and patted the spot next to him on the bed.

I closed the door and sat next to him. "Ok, before I start I want you to know that this isn't a secret I've been keeping from you and everyone else. I _literally_ just found out."

"You're kinda starting to freak me out, Clary."

I swallowed and showed him the drawing, making sure he didn't see the one where he was dead.

"Is that Jonathan?" he asked.

I nodded. "He's my brother."

Jace looked at me with wide eyes.

"Don't freak out!" I pleaded. "I swear, I never knew until now. Please believe me because if you don't then I don't know what I'd do. I don't want things to change between you and me."

Jace cleared my throat, "No, no, it just caught me off guard. I didn't mean to scare you. I believe you."

I sighed and smiled a little. "Well, that was easier than I thought it'd be."

"So, you're the other kid Magnus was talking about during that meeting."

I tilted my head. "What?"

"He said Valentine had more than one kid. Jonathan was one and you're the other."

"_Don't give up on all of them though. It's only Jonathan that seems to be under his spell."_

I gasped. "Son of a bitch! He knew the whole time! Why didn't he just tell me?"

Jace stifled his laughter. "Seems you've just been played by a warlock."

I laughed and pushed his shoulder. "Dick."

"But in all seriousness, what are you going to do? Do you think they're trying to, like, kill you or something?"

I paused. "I wasn't exactly thinking that but I guess it's a possibility."

"Oh, sorry."

I tried to act like it didn't effect me. "I thought Valentine was after me because he wants me to join him. Look, do you see the fear in Jonathan's eyes?"

Jace looked closely. "Is this exactly how you saw him when you had your…vision?"

"Sure," I said allowing the word. "And yes, this is exactly how I saw him. I think Valentine is forcing him to go along with it. I'm not sure what his plan is but it's not good. I want to find Valentine and save Jonathan."

Jace nodded. "Ok. Now all we have to do is tell the rest of the guys."

"Right. But I think…" I sighed, not believing I was about to do it again.

"What?" Jace asked.

"I think…" it took me a second to get the words out. "…we should go to Isabelle first."

He lifted his brow. "Just this morning you barely trusted her and now she's the first person you want to run to."

"_You_ were the first person I ran to. And we had a little talk earlier today and even though things aren't perfect, we understand each other. She'll know the exact way of how to bring it on to the rest of your family."

"Why can't we just tell them now?" Jace asked.

"Jace, have you met them? The minute I tell them I'm Valentine's daughter, all they're gonna think about is killing them! And I don't want that! I want them to sit down and think. Because if they make decisions too fast, they'll be too busy to realize that Jonathan's innocent. Whereas if we go to Isabelle first, she'll know how to break it down for them to slowly think about things."

Jace thought for a minute. "I guess your right. But what did you and Isabelle talk about earlier."

I smiled. "She just helped me view things in a different way."

"Ok, whatever that means. Let's go."

"Wait, Jace?"

He looked at me.

"Why did you believe me so easily?" I asked.

"Because I know you. You wouldn't do anything bad on purpose."

I blushed. "You know, I was worried for a second that you wouldn't think that. I guess I got off lucky, huh?"

Jace grabbed my hands. "Look, I know things have been a little weird between us but I don't want you to be afraid to talk to me. I trust you. I'll always be on your side."

"Don't say anything you'll regret later," I warned.

Jace smiled. "I'm not."

His golden eyes were shining like they did the night we slept together. I held his gaze, hoping that he wouldn't look away. I hoped that this time we'd be able to keep it going. I didn't want it to just end awkwardly like it always did.

And guess what. It didn't.

Jace's hand cradled my cheek and he pulled me in slowly.

My eyes fluttered shut as I anticipated the kiss I've been waiting for since our date.

When our lips brushed, I paused. Jace was waiting for me to take the last few steps but I was afraid. What if I messed up? What if I had to cough in the middle? Or sneeze? Or what if I was just a bad kisser.

I had waited so long that Jace was beginning to back away. But then that little voice in my head screamed, "To hell with that!" And then I slammed my lips against his.

I raised my hand to the back of his head and curled my fingers in his soft blond hair.

Jace was careful, knowing I was nervous. I tried following his moves but he was letting me lead, not wanting to do anything I wasn't comfortable with.

I've kissed other boys before. But they were more just pecks on the lips that didn't even last for more than a second. And then Eric planted a wet one on me but I kicked him off of me before he could do anything crazy.

But as I kissed Jace, I wanted so badly to say that he was my first kiss. It was amazing. It was everything I dreamed it'd be.

When we pulled apart, I went in for a second one.

"Why haven't we done that before?" I asked. "That was amazing."

Jace laughed. "I don't know."

We sat there quietly for a moment reveling in our kiss.

"Should we go talk to Isabelle now?" Jace asked after a moment.

"Probably. Let's go."

We got up and just as we were about to step outside, Jace stopped me.

"What?"

He took out my hair tie so my hair hung in messy curls down to my shoulders. "There. It frames your face better."

I rolled my eyes. "C'mon."

He took my hand and we walked to Isabelle's room.

Jace knocked. "Izzy, It's me and Clary."

She opened the door. "What now?"

"Can we talk?"

**So, what'd you guys think? I'm so glad I was able to fit Jace and Clary's first kiss in here lol I was afraid if i didn't put it in this chapter I never would XD that would've been awful! And false advertising since one of the genres on this story is romance. Hehe sorry about it taking so long. Anyway, I hope you guys liked it. Review and I'll post an excerpt on my tumblr! And plus, reviews make me feel good :)**

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	20. Chapter 20

**Hey guys! Sorry I didn't update last weekend. I wasn't feeling too well. But here's chapter 20! Sorry, if it's a little rushed. I was trying to finish it before seeing the Hunger Games. Lol I'm so excited! But anyway, enjoy the chapter!**

"Again?" Isabelle said slightly annoyed. "YOu know, I can only give so many inspirational speeches a day."

"We'll make it quick," Jace said. "Let us in."

She stepped aside and let Jace and I into her room.

"We need your help."

She moaned lightly and sat on top of her dresser. "I love the sound of that!" She giggled excitedly. "First Clary and now you? Oh, Jace, be a doll and say it again."

I rolled my eyes as Jace squeezed my hand. I knew he wanted me to be patient but oh my god! What a bitch!

"Dearest Isabelle," Jace started, "would you spare us your maliciousness and help us?"

She glared. "That was a little over the top but since you're my brother, I'll pretend I didn't hear the malicious part. What do you want?"

I was about to speak but she interrupted me. "Wait a minute. What is that?"

"What?" I asked.

"That!" Isabelle pointed to our linked hands. "Is that what I think it is?"

"It is," Jace said proudly.

Isabelle stifled her laughter. "You sure know how to pick 'em, bro."

"Hey!"

Sighing, I removed my hand. "Fuck it. I can do this on my own." I was about to walk out but Jace took my hand again, pulling me back to my spot.

"C'mon!" Isabelle said. "Don't be such a baby. I was only joking. What do you want?"

_You're head on a stick_, I said mentally. "I found something out about Valentine's children. I know if I just mention it to your family, they'll rush into things and I want them to have a clear head."

"And?"

"_And_," I continued, "I know you can help me make convince them that this person is safe."

"Why me?" she asked. "Why not, Jace or Alec."

"Because," I said. "You're a bitch and Alec and Jace aren't. You can probably get away with acting like that and not get in trouble."

"I'm not sure if I should rip your eyes out or thank you."

I rolled my eyes. "Just help me."

"First," she said, "tell me what's so damn important."

"Jonathan's innocent," I said.

"How do you know?" she asked.

"I just know."

"What, is this another one of your clairvoyant things again? _By the angel_."

"Ease up, Iz," Jace said.

"No!" she yelled. "I want some proof!"

I should've stayed quiet but the words came out before I could stop them. "Jonathan's my brother and I don't want you to hurt him!"

Her eyes darkened. If she wasn't angry before, she was angry now. She slowly lowered herself onto the floor.

"Isabelle," Jace said as he stood in front of me. "Just wait for a second."

"You spying _mundane!_" She leapt for me but Jace caught her by the waist. "You little traitor! You are _so_ dead!"

"Isabelle!" Jace tried to get her attention but she had officially lost it.

I jus stood there with my arms crossed and an annoyed look on my face.

"I'm gonna tear out your ribcage and wear it as a hat! It'll be the new fashion trend."

"Oh my god," I said with a roll of my eyes, "Are you even listening to yourself? I'm not a spy."

"You actually think anyone will believe you? I knew from the jump you were gonna be nothing but trouble."

"If I was really a spy, would I let you find out this easily?"

"That's actually a good point," Jace said.

"Shut up!" Isabelle groaned, removing herself from her brother's grip. "The only reason you're sticking up for her is because she kissed you and let you smother her tits for free."

"_Excuse me?_"

I laughed at Jace's reaction. "You make that sound like a bad thing," I said with a smirk.

"That's because it _is_ you retard."

"Isn't that what you do with Meliorn?"

Jace stood between us. "Ok, ok, relax girls. Isabelle, will you help us?"

"After what she said to me? Hell no!"

"What if Jonathan was Jace?" I said. "Would you save him?"

"Yeah!"

"Why?"

"Because he's-"

I was waiting for her to repeat my words but she stopped herself. She looked at me for a long moment. And then She spoke. "Fine, I'll help you. Now get the fuck out so I can think about what to say. We'll announce it after dinner."

Jace and I mad our way back to his room.

"I thought you said you talked to Isabelle," Jace said.

"I did."

"Then why does she hate you?"

"Why don't you ask her?"

We sat in his room, watching TV and kissing during the commercials.

We had been sitting there for an hour and a half when Jace said, "So, I've been thinking about some stuff lately."

"What kind of stuff?" I asked.

"You're dad's a psycho."

I laughed. "What, are you scared he's gonna hide under bed and kill you?"

"No, not like that. Have you ever wondered who your dad was?"

I nodded. "Yeah but between running away from demons and fighting with my mom, I had didn't have a lot of time to think about it."

"I'm not so sure I want to know who my parents are anymore."

"What? Why?" I said a bit too loudly.

"What if they're crazy?"

"What if they're nice?"

"I can't take that risk, Clary. It's too big."

I sighed and turned my body so I was fully facing him. "There's just as many good people as there are bad people."

"It doesn't seem like it."

As I looked at him, I couldn't help but feel angry. Not at him but at life.

Why would someone give away their child? Why would someone just take that child without learning who the parents were? Why can't I have _real_ clairvoyance so I can find out?

"We're gonna find out who they are," I said. "And I'll prove to you that they're good people."

Jace rolled his eyes but I said before that I would find them and goddamn it, I was going to do exactly that.

We watched TV for another hour and then Isabelle knocked on the door. "Dinner's ready," she said. "After we eat, I'm gonna tell everyone to meet us in the library. You ready?"

Jace and I nodded.

"Ok, Clary, grab your sketchbook and meet us down at the table."

"Ok," I said.

I hurried to grab my book and then down the steps to be met with a steaming plate ob baked ziti.

As we ate, it was quiet. It seemed every time we ate it was quiet. I was starting to enjoy it. It gave me time to think instead of pretending to be happy when I'm not.

Maryse and Robert held a conversation, keeping the rest of us out of the line of fire.

Isabelle, Jace and I kept glancing at each other. I couldn't tell if they were trying to send messages or if they were just nervous for some reason. If anyone was nervous, it should've been me.

I looked back down at my food and forced myself to eat.

A couple seconds later, Jace tapped my shoulder.

I looked up but he didn't say anything. Then, I looked at Isabelle. They _were_ trying to send messages.

She pointed to her ear and mouthed, "Listen."

"I'm not so sure that's a good idea," Robert said.

"Robert, that's the only thing that makes sense! All these demons lurking around here," Maryse pointed to a spot on what looked like a map, "and strange killings here?" It's definitely not a coincidence. Valentine and Jonathan have to be somewhere around there."

Finally, the two of them looked up and saw us staring. "We're not just talking to hear ourselves talk," Maryse snapped. "You four should be listening. I knew something was wrong when I didn't hear an objection by Mrs. Know-It-All over here."

Isabelle threw her fork down and stood up. "You," she pointed to Maryse, "you," she pointed to Robert, "and you." And then Alec.

"What did I do?" Alec whined.

"We want to see you in the library. Now."

"We?" said Robert.

She glared at Jace and I.

We stood up simultaneously.

"Let's go."

Jace, Isabelle and I started toward the stairs. And when the rest of them didn't follow us, she whipped around and yelled, "We're not just talking to hear ourselves talk! Let's go! Chop, chop!"

I knew it was a serious moment but I had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing.

I'm not sure if was funny because it was a relief seeing Isabelle's wrath turned on someone else for a change or if it was just funny.

Looking over, I saw Jace had a little red tint on his face form laughing as well.

Maryse, Robert and Alec eventually did follow us to the library.

"First of all," Isabelle said when the three of them were seated, "I don't like being talked to like I'm a child. I'm seventeen years old, I know what I'm doing."

It was then that I realized just how alike Maryse and Isabelle were. Both of them were exceptionally strong and didn't think twice about speaking their mind.

"Second of all, I want you to listen to me, especially you Mom. You have a way of putting things in a box when you make up your mimd and I really need you to have an open mind here."

That may have been the closest Isabelle will ever get to begging.

Maryse crossed her arms and looked proudly at her daughter, clearly impressed by the amount of maturity. I guess it was pretty cool seeing this side of Isabelle. Maybe she wasn't as cold-hearted as she led to be.

"I know that when it comes to the real Shadowhunter decision-making thing, you're in charge. But I think we've earned the right to give some reasons why we shouldn't go along with your plan."

"Ok," Maryse said. "I'll go with this for a moment."

"We don't want to go after Jonathan."

"What?"

"Ssh!" Maryse silenced the boys. "Let them speak."

"He's innocent. Valentine is feeding him something to brainwash him."

"Do you have any proof?" Alec asked.

She replied by sending him a death glare.

"Sorry, sis, but what you're saying is big. We need proof."

"Just give her a second," I said.

Everyone looked at me with surprised expressions. I was a little shocked as well. Who would've thought I'd be standing up for Isabelle?

Isabelle held out her hand toward me. "Give me your sketchbook."

I flipped to the right page and then handed it to her.

"Here's your proof," she said. "Jonathan's drinking something out of the Mortal Cup. And here's Valentine." She pointed to the third hand on the cup. "Now, I need-"

"Wait," Maryse interrupted. "I thought you said the _three_ of you had something to say?"

Isabelle gave her a confused look. "We do. We're speaking now."

"So far, I've only heard you speak. I want to know what you two think. I can't go along with your plan if only one person agrees to it. Like Alec said, this is big."

I was about to speak but Maryse continued.

"You don't have to agree with Isabelle just because she's your sister," Isabelle rolled her eyes, "or because she makes you feel threatened."

Jace sighed. "I know, Mom, but I really do."

"Ok," she said. Then she looked at me. "What about you?"

I looked at Jace who just nodded. And Isabelle gestured impatiently for me to spit it out.

"Jonathan's my brother," I said. "And I don't want him to get hurt."

Maryse tried to keep her face expressionless which I appreciated but Alec and Robert really made me feel self-conscious.

"Why didn't you tell us before?" Alec asked his question calmly and politely. But I already felt like I wasn't trusted from Isabelle's reaction and Alec's only made me feel worse.

"Are you really asking me that?" I asked. "If I knew before, don't you think I would've told you?"

"Alec didn't mean it like that," Robert said. "Don't worry sweetheart, we're not angry with you. Everything gonna be ok."

I took back my sketchbook and sat myself down in a chair.

"Let me see that map again," Maryse said.

Robert handed it to her.

"Ok, so Valentine and Jonathan are here. Which means by tomorrow they'll be here."

"Why don't we go catch them tonight?" Isabelle said, bouncing on the balls on her feet. "We can take 'em!"

"Because by the time we think of a good plan, they'll go back into hiding. We might as well just wait until tomorrow night."

"So, what are we gonna do then?" Alec asked. "Are we taking Jonathan?"

"No," said Maryse. "I just want to get a look at what they're up to."

"They won't be alone," Robert said. "I think it'll be a little dangerous to go see them. Besides, we can pay Magnus to do that for us."

"Magnus has done so much already. I don't want to bother him anymore. Plus, he knows Magnus is close to Clary and I won't risk her losing anyone else. She almost lost Simon."

I winced at the memory.

"We'll fight if we have to. So that means that you two," she looked at Isabelle and Alec, "have to train tomorrow morning."

"But we have to train Jace and Clary tomorrow," Isabelle whined.

"Then get up earlier."

I wanted to stay and listen. But by nine, Robert and Maryse ordered Jace and I to bed. Another big day ahead of us.

Jace held my hand as we walked. "Don't worry," he said. "They're good fighters. They'll be ok. Your brother too."

"I just wish I could go with them instead of anxiously waiting for them to get back."

"One day we'll be able to go with them," he said.

I smiled. "One day."

When we reached my room, he kissed me goodnight and then walked to his own room.

I sat down on my bed and pulled out my sketchbook. So many people had touched it. So many people had been the picture of Jonathan. They were one page away from seeing Jace lying dead.

I turned the page, my stomach twisting nervously.

I had no idea how to protect him. Raziel said his death was inevitable. But I refused to accept that. There had to be something I could do.

I recalled the prophecy her whispered into my ears but here were no loopholes. But there was one line that confused me.

_Do not lose your ally,_

_His own destiny awaits._

_There comes a time where he will die,_

_But you must go against fate._

Jace had an important role to play. So, he can't die! I mean, if someone's so important, why would you kill them? You only see that in books and movies.

I looked at the picture again.

A demon was standing over Jace. He was killed by that demon. So, just as long as I watched him while were outside, he'd be safe.

I took a deep breath and changed into my sleepwear. There was no point in stressing. Everything would be fine. It had to be.

I lay down and closed my eyes.

The prophecy kept playing itself over and over in my head. I couldn't make it shut up. It was like a song. It sings itself to you and before you know it, you're humming.

"There's evil in your heart,

And it wants out to play.

Don't let it go too far,

I know it sounds cliché."

I couldn't stop myself from muttering the words. I was about to get up to grab my iPod when my phone got a text.

It was from Simon.

I eagerly read the message.

_Are you awake?_

Instead of replying, I called him. I wanted to hear his voice.

"I guess that answers my question," Simon said when he picked up.

"Simon!" I could barely tame my excitement. "Oh my god, I miss you so much!"

"I miss you too. How have you been?"

"Not great but better now that you've called."

"Why don't you come down to see me one night?" he asked.

I sighed. "I wish I could but I'm stuck here. It's too dangerous out there."

"What? I've been out there a bunch of times and I'm ok. What's going on over there?"

I ended up spending the next hour and a half explaining to him everything I could about Shadowhunters, what it was like in the Institute and the current problem on our table.

When I was finished, I waited for Simon to ask one of his dumb questions that are supposed to be comic relief. But he was silent.

"Simon? You there?"

"Isabelle sounds hot."

I rolled my eyes. "I spent all this time telling you all the trouble we're in and all you care about is a girl. And what about Maia?"

"Maia hates me."

"Oh, for the love of God, what did you do?"

"Nothing! Whenever we hang out, she acts so distant and she's so jumpy. It's like she expecting me to do something to her. And her glares are getting scarier and scarier."

"Well, werewolves and vampires are natural enemies. Just give her some time to get used to things."

"Whatever. I'm just waiting for her to break up with me."

I knew she wouldn't but I let it go. "Ok, I hope to see you soon."

I hung up and then got myself comfortable.

Soon, everything would be over. Valentine would be dead and Jonathan would stay with me and the Lightwoods.

_For the Herondales will prevail.  
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**And that's the end! I hope you guys liked it! It took me so long to write lol I hate Writer's Block!**

**Happy Hunger Games everyone! And may the odds be ever in your favor!**

**Review plz!**

**l**

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**v  
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	21. Chapter 21

**Hey guys! Happy Palm Sunday! I hope you guys are all enjoying your spring brake. Mine has been pretty good to me lol I'll be updating the next chapter on Easter since it's the holiday, so I guess that's a treat. I hope you guys enjoy your holiday. Here's chapter 21!**

I sat in that bed for hours, trying to go to sleep. But every time I got comfortable, Jace's dead body popped into my mind. And I had to start all over again.

So, finally, I got up and changed into a camisole and shorts. Then, I quietly walked down to the gym, bringing my iPod with me.

I figured if I wasn't going to sleep, I could at least train.

I hooked myself up to the harness and walked up to the wall. And yes, I knew it wouldn't make a difference, seeing that I didn't have a spotter. But at least I could pretend.

I took a stopwatch and started it, so I knew what I had to beat next time.

I tried to lose myself in the music that was playing in my ears. If I looked down and saw Alec wasn't there holding on to the rope, I'd flip my shit.

I tried to picture him shouting encouragements to me and I'd roll my eyes, thinking he was only lying to make me feel better.

I was about fifteen feet up. Seven minutes on the clock.

I kept going, telling myself repeatedly to not look down. Listen to the music.

And then I reached the spot where I usually stop because the grips are too spaced out.

I knew I should've gone back down since I was doing it without anyone watching. But I kept going.

I was a shadowhunter. Raziel's blood ran through me. I could do anything. Right?

I couldn't reach the next grip by just reaching out for it, I knew that. I had to jump. And that's exactly what I did.

I dangled from the grip by my fingertips. If I slipped, I could break every bone in my body, if not die.

I kicked myself off the wall and jumped again. I grabbed the two grips and sighed in relief as I put my foot on the one below me. I was able to climb safely again.

Twenty-five feet up. I looked at the stopwatch. Ten minutes.

I continued to climb.

A few more jumps and stretches and I was at the top. Thirty feet in the air. Right where Isabelle stood when she impressed us all with her swan dive. It only took me fifteen minutes.

I hope one day I'd be able to do that. Not just to say I'm better than her but to prove I wasn't as helpless as she thought.

"_It's all about balance,"_ Alec had said.

I swallowed. I wanted so badly to jump. But once I did, I knew I wouldn't be able to take it back. I could die. It made a lot more sense to just climb down. But lately I've been very senseless.

I pushed myself off the wall. I felt myself flip twice in the air. And then, it was like time slowed down.

I saw the ground getting closer and closer. I got myself right side up and prepared myself for the landing. It's all about balance.

I landed on the balls of my feet, silently thanking my mother for making me go to all those dumb gymnastics lessons as a kid.

I flipped off walls, jumped over things and maybe even danced a little. I did everything I could to test my abilities and work on what I had trouble with.

By two in the morning, I was sweating so much, my tongue was sweating so much, I was dizzy from dehydration.

I took a long swig of water and was about to go to bed when I caught sight of the weapons room.

The coolness of the room felt good against my sweaty skin.

I saw the bow and arrow that I almost killed Alec with. I saw whips, knives, guns, swords, every possible weapon you could imagine.

A dresser sat underneath a rack of guns. I opened one of the drawers and saw a whole collection of daggers.

I picked one up, feeling the sharpness of the blade with the tip of my finger. I felt like Mulan as she looked at her reflection in her father's sword. Except I would never chop off my hair like that.

The handle was smooth. It fit perfectly into the palm of my hand.

Sparks of adrenaline shot up through my hand and up my arm as I wondered when Alec and Isabelle would let us play with this stuff.

I put the dagger back in the drawer and left the weapons room.

I took a cold shower and then climbed back into bed. This time, I was able to go to sleep.

I dreamed of a jealous Isabelle that night.

A couple hours later, Jace was shaking me awake.

Usually, I'm not very happy in the morning. But with Jace, I found myself smiling.

"Hey."

I had gotten only five hours of sleep that night. Had Jace been anyone else, I would've smacked him.

"Hey, I said.

"You should get up. Alec and Isabelle want us in the gym."

I sat up and pushed myself out of bed. "Ok. I'll see you there in a few minutes."

He kissed me lightly before leaving.

I threw on my usual tank and shorts and then raced to the gym. I couldn't wait to show Isabelle what I could do.

When I went down to the gym, Jace wasn't there yet. So, I just sat and watched Alec and Isabelle.

Isabelle had a knife in her hand and made Alec dodge every one of her moves. I would try to stop them but I've seen them do crazier things.

When Alec had her on the ground, he took the knife and made Isabelle dodge.

"They're pretty good, huh?" said Jace.

I nodded. "Yeah. But no matter how good I get, I'm never allowing anyone to get that close to me with a knife."

He laughed. "C'mon, let's go in."

We walked inside silently, trying not to distract them.

Isabelle ducked and jumped until she found an opening. She tackled Alec ot the ground and took the knife from him.

They booth stood up and sighed when they saw us. They must've been really tired.

"Ok, guys, I want you to climb the wall again," Alec said breathlessly.

We didn't say anything, not wanting to trigger anything.

Jace went first. To me, he still seemed really fast for someone who's only climbed the wall twice.

Alec and I cheered him on. Even Isabelle contributed after a while.

When Jace reached twenty feet up, Alec had to bring him down. That was where the grips were too far apart for him. He tried to get past it but Alec didn't want him to slip.

"Ok, your turn, Clary."

I grabbed a stopwatch and tossed it to Isabelle. "Time me."

I heard her whisper, "Is she serious?"

"I think so," replied Alec.

I scurried up the wall, trying to figure out which route was easiest and which one was fastest.

I wished I had just held on to the watch. I wanted to know how fast I was going. Or how slow.

I felt like it was taking me forever. It didn't take me this long last night. So much for beating fifteen minutes.

I tried to hum a song to myself, hoping that would make me go faster. But my pace didn't change.

I gave up trying to hum and just went up silently.

I reached that twenty foot point. And before Alec could bring me down, I jumped.

Jace whistled loudly while Alec and Isabelle stared silently.

I found myself smiling as I climbed the rest of the way up. Even if I didn't beat my time, I at least proved to Isabelle that I was good.

And when I reached the top, I looked smugly down at the three of them. "Time?"

"Ten minutes!" Alec called. "Good job, Clary!"

"Why don't you jump off?" Isabelle said.

I rolled my eyes as Alec elbowed her. And while he wasn't looking, I jumped.

"Clary!"

I landed on the balls of my feet just like last time.

After unhooking myself from the harness, Jace picked me up and spun me around.

"Holy shit, how did you do that?" he said through an excited laugh.

I looked at Alec. "It's all about balance."

He kissed me lightly. It took everything I had not to make it serious.

"Alright guys, over here."

Jace and I followed Isabelle to the other side of the gym.

There was a balance beam that seemed to be two times higher than usual.

"How are we even supposed to get on that thing?" I asked.

"Yeah, it's impossible to jump that high," Jace said.

Isabelle gave us that smug look when she said, "A human can't jump that high. What about a shadowhunter? Clary, wanna go first?"

Fucking bitching.

I stepped underneath the beam and then I jumped and pulled myself up.

"Not bad for a rookie," Isabelle said.

"Would you stop that?" Alec said, glaring at his sister. "That was perfect."

Isabelle pulled out a Nerf archery set.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"I want you to dodge these arrows without falling off this beam."

My eyes widened. "Well, what if I _do_ fall off?"

"Well, that will suck, won't it?"

Alec sighed. "You'll be fine, Clary. It's all about balance."

The first arrow shot was easy to dodge. And so was the next one. It wasn't until Isabelle started shooting faster that I had trouble.

When I ducked, I wanted to stand up straight and regain my balance but by then she was already shooting the next arrow and I had to move the other way.

"You have to move your feet," she said.

"I'll fall if I do."

"What do you think we're practicing for?"

I looked down at the beam. It was only about four inches wide so I didn't have a lot of room to move my feet.

I got in a ready position, keeping my feet together and bending my knees.

Isabelle shot the arrow.

I jumped and landed on the beam safely.

I ducked for the second one and cart wheeled when I saw the third one coming.

Isabelle was right. Moving my feet made things easier. I had to keep better balance but I was able to move out of the way quicker.

On the last arrow, I kept my feet a little to far apart and slipped. But I my hands had a firm grip on the beam.

Alec smiled and I think I saw a little smile on Isabelle's face too.

"Good job," he said. "Your turn, Jace."

I hopped off and fist bumped Alec as Isabelle got all of her arrows together.

When I saw that Isabelle was going easy on Jace, I glared at the back of her head.

She only shot at Jace's upper body so he didn't have to jump as much.

I looked at Alec to see if he noticed. And he did.

"Sorry, Clary," he said. "She's just like that."

I sighed. "Whatever."

We practiced a couple more times on the beam. After Jace almost broke his ankle, Alec and Isabelle dismissed us.

"You were really good today," Jace said as he limped behind me.

"Are you sure you're ok?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. But _you!_ Holy shit!"

I rolled my eyes.

"You've gotta teach me how to do that."

"Teach you? I don't even know how _I_ did it."

He threw his arm over my shoulder and walked me to my room. "I'll see you at breakfast."

"Ok."

I took a quick shower and got dressed. I went downstairs expecting to see something on the table but there wasn't anything. Only Jace sat there with a bowl of cereal and petting Church.

"Where is everyone?" I asked.

"They're in the library," he said. "They're discussing their plans for tonight."

"Oh, that's right. They're fighting tonight. That doesn't worry me at all."

"Relax, Clary," he said. "They'll be fine."

I poured myself a bowl of cereal and poured something for Church too since everyone seemed to forget.

Church pounced out of Jace's lap and ran to eat his breakfast.

"Oh, I keep forgetting to feed that damn thing."

I laughed as I sat next to him. "Nice parenting skills."

"Shut up."

I took a couple bites of my cereal and happily welcomed Church into my lap after he finished eating.

I tangled my fingers in his soft blue fur. "So, do you know where they're going?"

Jace swallowed. "I think they're going to central park. That's where they think Valentine and Jonathan are."

I nodded.

"You know, I keep thinking about our date. And how it was interrupted by those demons."

I smiled. "That seems like forever ago."

"It's only been a week."

"You've been counting?"

"Maybe."

I looked down and busied myself with petting Church as he purred. I didn't want Jace to see my blush. Hopefully my hair could make it blend.

"Since we'll have the house to ourselves, what do you say we have a movie night."

"As a date?" I said looking up.

He smiled. "As a date."

"Ok. I'm up for it."

"Good."

After I finished my cereal, I kissed Jace. "I'll see you tonight."

"You're gonna make me wait ten hours to see you?"

I chuckled evilly. "Yep."

I closed and locked my door. I was probably torturing Jace a little too much but it was boring just sitting around in this place all alone. I needed a little bit of entertainment.

I pulled out the Codex and began to read.

At three, Jace was knocking on my door.

"Clary, I'm dying over here. Please let me see you."

I burst into a fit of laughter. I tried desperately to quiet them but Jace's whiny voice sent me over the edge.

"Clary, it's not funny. I'm pretty sure someone could die of boredom."

I snorted into my hand, trying to catch my breath.

"Clary, open the door or I'm calling off our date."

"Oh, you big baby!" I got up and opened the door.

He snaked his arms around my waist and kissed me. But not like the last few times. Like our first kiss. Except he was less careful and I was less self-conscious.

I pressed my body against his, wanting to get as close to him as I could.

Jace closed the door.

I moaned lightly as his tongue flicked my lips.

I opened for him and gripped his hair.

His hand rubbed the spot on my lower back, an inch away from my ass.

I forced myself to pull away. "Let's save it for our date tonight, huh?"

He sat down on the bed and picked up the Codex. "You're still reading this thing?"

"I wanna learn as much as I can. We don't have any time to lollygag."

"But we have time for a date."

I smiled. "We always have time for a date. I just meant training wise, we have to learn quickly."

"Yeah, why don't we just train longer in the mornings?" Jace asked.

"Alec wants us to build muscle," I said. "If we train too long, we'll only end up losing weight."

"Do you have an answer for everything?"

I blushed. "Sorry."

Jace's hand caressed my cheek. "I love when you do that."

I moved his hand and rolled my eyes. "Shut up."

"I'm serious," he laughed.

"Would you stop doing that to me?"

"Doing what?"

I shrugged, not knowing what to say. All I knew was that Jace made me feel girly. It was a nice feeling. A great feeling. But I didn't want to be blinded by it. I was afraid I'd miss something important.

I mean, that last little stunt almost had us in the bed together. We had to control ourselves.

Jace turned on the TV. He wanted to watch something on HBO but I talked him into letting me watch NCIS. He claimed it was boring but five minutes in and he was yelling at Ziva to turn around.

At six, still no one was at the table so Jace and I had to make our own dinner.

We ended up putting Ramen noodles on the stove

"They're not still in the library, are they?" I asked.

"I doubt it," he said.

At seven, Jace and I had finished putting the dishes in the washing machine. I put some more foot in Church's bowl and left the kitchen to see the Lightwoods gathering at the front door.

They all wore tight black clothing. I guess that made sense. They didn't want to trip over flared jeans and they didn't want to stand out. But what they wore looked nothing like the traditional shadowhunter fighting outfit I saw in the Codex.

Jace and I followed them.

They were putting weapons into their belt, making sure the guns had bullets and such.

"You guys are leaving now?" I asked.

"Yeah," Alec said. "But don't worry, we won't be long."

"Just please don't burn the house down," Maryse said.

I smiled. "We won't."

"Be careful," Jace said.

Isabelle chuckled.

"Izzy," Jace said in a warning tone.

Isabelle hugged her brother. "I promise we'll come back in one piece."

"Ok, good. But promise me you'll be careful."

"We're shadowhunters, Jace. Careful isn't in our vocabulary."

"Isabelle!"

She kissed Jace on the cheek. "_Mizpah_."

"What?"

"It's a sort of goodbye without saying goodbye," she said.

"I don't like the sound of that," he said.

"She's referencing the Bible, Jace," I said. "_'And Mizpah, for he said, the Lord watch between me and thee when we are absent one from another.'_"

"I still don't like the sound of that."

"She's smarter than she looks," Isabelle commented. "We'll be back. Stop worrying."

Isabelle looked at me and for the first time she didn't glare. And I didn't glare at her either. Even though we were telling each other that everyone would be safe, we knew that it was dangerous.

We nodded briefly but respectfully at one another and then she left with her family.

"Ready for our date?"

**I planned on making the chapter longer but I didn't want to make it too long. I'm a very lazy writer, I'll admit it lol but I promise, next Sunday I'll update again.**

**Review plz!**

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	22. Chapter 22

**Hey guys! Happy Easter! I hope you guys enjoy the holiday. Here's to the last of spring break. Chapter 22!**

"Ready for our date?"

I knew he was still worried about his family, so I wanted to make this

date good. I wanted him to enjoy himself.

"You're gonna have to give me a minute," I said.

"So, you're not ready?"

I laughed. "Not unless you want me to wear a ripped T-shirt and jeans

to our date."

He thought for a moment. "You'll have to give me a minute." He ran to

the stairs, leaving me behind as I laughed. "Scratch that, make it

fifteen."

I rolled my eyes ran to my room as well.

I dressed into a black dress that zipped in the back and sandals as I

heated up the curling iron.

I sprayed a little perfume on and even attempted to put on some make

up. Although the only thing I trusted myself with was lip gloss and

eyeliner.

When I finished applying on make up, I curled my hair as quickly as I

could. Then I ran a comb through my hair to soften the curls and I was

finished.

I chewed a piece of peppermint gum as I waited for Jace.

When he knocked on the door, I spit my gum out and opened the door.

Jace wore a white short-sleeved button up shirt that was tucked into a

pair of dark jeans. His hair shined a little more than usual and he

smelled like axe.

"Good even, Miss Clary."

I lifted a brow at him.

"May I take you for a walk?" He held out his hand.

Playing along, I took his hand gingerly. "Of course."

Instead of walking to the stairs, we walked to the elevator. Jace

pressed the button and cringed at the loud groan it made.

"This thing is so old," he mumbled.

"Is it safe?" I asked.

"I wouldn't put you on something that wasn't safe," he said. "It's just

old."

We descended to the basement. Alec didn't show me the basement when I

first came here. I wondered whether Alec had a reason for that.

"Are we allowed down here?" I asked as the doors opened.

Jace nodded. "But only us. Maryse and Robert don't know what we've done

to the place."

I had no idea what he was talking about. But I took his hand and walked

with him.

It was like the room was split in two. One side was an arcade and the

other was a theatre.

There were pool tables, air hockey tables, everything that you'd find

at a carnival.

"So, what do you wanna do first?" he asked.

When I saw Dance Dance Revolution, I dragged him to it and we started

our game.

I had absolutely no dance moves but I figured I could use my

shadowhunter training to help me.

I beat Jace the first three battles. I loved my catlike reflexes.

"How do you do that?" he asked. "Hit every step?"

"A pro never tells."

I laughed when he rolled his eyes. "C'mon, really."

"Have Alec and Isabelle taught you nothing?"

His jaw dropped. "Oh, you little cheater!"

I couldn't stop laughing. "How is that cheating?"

"We're going again!"

Jace picked possibly the fastest song on the whole game. Our feet were

stomping like crazy on the arrows.

Jace messed me up by shoving me. Of course, I shoved him back. And

that's how the war started.

We stepped on each other's buttons pushed, kicked, anything to mess

each other up. There was no telling who actually won the battle.

"Wanna play pool?" he asked.

I crossed my arms. "I'm not falling for that one."

"What?" He tried to seem like he was innocent but I could see the smirk

on his face.

"You want to play pool so you can lean over me and 'accidentally' graze

your fingers against my ass. Yeah, not happening."

"What kind of man do you think I am?" He stepped forward and wrapped

his arms around my waist. "If I wanted to touch your ass, I would just

touch it." And then he squeezed my but gently, making me squeal.

"You're bad!" I said as I stepped away from him. "You're very bad."

"I'm bad to the bone."

I went back into his arms and hugged him. I bent down his head so I

could whisper in his ear. "But I'm bad too." My hand slid down to his

crotch and rubbed.

Jace gasped and almost fell on top of me. "Whoa! Holy shit, woman, are

you trying to kill me?"

"Maybe." I walked over to the air hockey table and acted as if nothing

happened. "Wanna play?"

"You're trying to torture me."

I was. And seemed like I was succeeding. "C'mon, Jace. I wanna play.

Let's play."

When we started the game, I hunched down so he had a nice view of my

cleavage. He could barely concentrate.

I saw his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed.

At first, he attempted to hit the puck but every time, it hit off the

side and I was able to score easily.

But after I got four points in a row, I purposely missed the goal and

let Jace have a shot at getting a point.

He hit the puck and it went off the side again. And instead of hitting

the puck, I let it slide closer and closer to the slot. But it stopped

right in front of it.

I giggled into my hands.

"Clary, stop!"

I looked up at him and laughed harder when I saw his eyes were still

glued to my chest.

"If your gonna keep laughing, at least cover yourself. You're driving

me crazy."

I looked down, still laughing, and saw my tits were jiggling like

jello. This observation threw me over the edge. I stood there snorting

into my hands while Jace groaned. In frustration or pleasure, I didn't

know.

When we finished our game, I stood up straight.

Jace sighed in relief.

And just for that, I shoved my hand in there and pretended that I

needed to adjust them. But honestly, there was barely anything to

adjust.

I looked at Jace from under my eyelashes. "I know what I wanna do next."

"No, no, no!" He grabbed my arm. "I don't trust you. We're doing what I

want to do now."

I laughed and let him drag me to the couch in front of the huge flat

screen TV.

He sat me down and then surfed through a box that I guess was filled

with DVDs.

I tried to be patient as he chose. But after five minutes, I started to

get bored.

I crossed my legs. "Jace?"

"If I turn around, will I regret it?"

I laughed. "I hope not."

"Put your clothes back on," he said firmly.

I threw my sandal at him. "I'm not naked!"

He looked at me and smiled. "Yes?"

"Do you plan on picking a movie any time soon?"

"You wanna pick?" he asked.

"I thought you didn't trust me."

"I don't, but since I don't see any porn in here, I think I'm safe."

I rolled my eyes. "You know, you're the one who started it by touching

my ass."

"It was just a joke."

I looked in the box. Jace said there wasn't anything I could use to

torture him with but I was sure I'd find something. And I did.

I pulled out Friends With Benefits. It was a comedy but had a lot of

sex in it. I would figure something out.

Jace didn't know what my plans were at first. But when Jaimee and Dylan

make the whole "No Strings Attached" deal official, I scooted closer

to Jace and placed my hand on his thigh.

I could feel him look down at me to see if I was trying to mess with

him. I kept my eyes on the TV and honestly tried to look like I wasn't

up to anything. And when he placed his hand over mine romantically, I

knew he fell for it.

I thought about making my move when Jaimee and Dylan made it to the bed

but I deemed it too soon. So I waited.

A couple minutes later, I hit the pause button on the remote.

"Sorry," I said. "I have to pee."

Jace laughed. "It's ok. I don't think there's a bathroom down here so

you'll have to go upstairs."

Even better. "Ok, I'll be quick."

I ran up the stairs to the first floor and then up the other case of

stairs to the second floor.

Scurrying in my room, I grabbed my iPod and scanned my songs, making

sure I had the one I wanted. I didn't.

I frowned sarcastically to myself. But lucky for me, I knew my mother's

credit card number. One dollar and twenty-nine cents wouldn't kill her.

I downloaded the song as I went to the bathroom. By the time I came

out, the song was on my iPod.

I took the USB cord with me back to the basement.

I snuck back down into the basement and hooked my iPod to computer in

the back and connected the speakers to the computer.

Turning the volume up, I pressed play on my iPod.

Jace jumped at the noise. "Jesus, Clary, you gave me a heart attack."

I played with my hair as I walked back over to the couch.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

I climbed into his lap and mouthed the lyrics to him. "Closing time,

open all the doors and let you into the world."

Jace groaned. "God, I should've known you weren't finished."

I pressed my lips against his gently. As much as I loved dicking around

with him, I wanted some action too.

Jace moved my hair so it wasn't tickling his face as I tangled my

fingers in his.

Although the couch was soft, it felt weird putting all the weight on my

knees. I had to keep moving them so my legs wouldn't fall asleep.

"Sit down if it makes it easier," Jace said.

I sat in his lap and smiled. "I know who I want to take me home."

He chuckled and then kissed me again.

I'm not sure if it was from the kiss or from how I teased him before,

but I could feel his hard-on through his jeans. "Jace, do you wanna

stop?"

He looked up at me seriously. "Do you?"

I shrugged.

"I don't want to make you do anything you're uncomfortable with."

"I know. And you're not. But what about you?"

Jace gently traced his thumb against my cheek. "What do you mean about

me?"

Blushing, I looked down at his crotch which made him laugh. "Clary, I'm

fine. Are you?"

I sighed and lay my head on his shoulder. "I want to so badly, you have

no idea. But I'm not sure if it's the right thing to do."

Jace kissed my cheek. "We'll only go as far as you'd like."

I looked at him with a smile and he smiled at me back.

Two seconds later, we were belching out the lyrics to the song.

"Closing time, every new beginning comes from some other beginning's

end."

I laughed at how ridiculous we were being and went in for another kiss.

Jace unzipped my dress and pulled it down, only revealing my bra.

He smiled when he saw the design. "Nice."

I looked down at the hearts and skulls and shrugged. "If I had planned

on this happening, I would've changed it."

"No, it's cute."

He grabbed onto my hips and moved us both forward so he was on top. But

once we did, we paused, not knowing what to do next.

If I wasn't worried about what all my followers would think, I would've

tweeted about this.

C_Red:

#

n'tknowwhattodonext.

Jace cleared his throat. "Well, this is awkward."

I nodded in agreement. "Wanna go upstairs?"

"Yeah."

We sat up and tried to forget everything that happened.

I zipped up my dress and fixed my hair and then stood up to grab my

iPod.

"Let's take the elevator again," Jace said again. "I think I hear the

guys upstairs. I don't want them to ask what we were doing in the

basement."

"We don't want them to ask what we were doing at all."

"That's true. But if they do ask what should we say?"

"The usual teenage answer," I said as we stepped into the elevator.

"Nothing much."

"Vague but brilliant."

"Right?"

When the elevator stopped on the first floor, only Isabelle was in the

foyer.

She opened her arms. "I told you we'd be safe," she said to Jace.

He accepted the hug. "I know."

"You know, you really shouldn't doubt us," she teased.

"Yeah, yeah."

"What were you two up to while we were gone?"

Jace looked at me. "Nothing much."

Isabelle looked at him suspiciously for a moment. But then she ruffled

his hair. "Hey, is it ok if we catch up later? I want to talk to Clary."

Jace and I both gave her a confused look.

"Quit acting like her dad. I just wanna talk." She looked at me.

"C'mon, let's go to my room."

Sighing, I made my way up the stairs and to the main hall. I turned the

corner and walked into the room at the end of the hall.

I sat at the end of Isabelle's bed and waited for her to come.

In the mirror, I saw my hair was still a little messy so I smoothed it

down with my fingers.

Isabelle walked in then and sat down next to me on the bed. "Alright, I

believe you."

I lifted my brow. "About what?"

"Jonathan's innocent," she said. "I know he is."

"Did you see him?"

She nodded. "Yeah, he was sitting at a fountain with Valentine. They

were just talking. But then Jonathan looked at me. I think he wanted us

to be there. He wanted us to get through all those demons-"

"Demons were there?" I interrupted.

Isabelle rolled her eyes. "Of course there were. Valentine wouldn't go

anywhere unprotected. But as I was saying, Jonathan wanted us to kill

them so we could save him or something. I told Alec to take his shot at

Valentine. But then he shoved something in Jonathan's hands. And a

second later, the tree Alec was hiding in blew up."

"Oh my God," I said loudly. "Is he ok?"

"Yeah he's fine. Just a few scrapes and a twisted ankle. He didn't even

need an iratz."

I sighed in relief. "Good."

"But I need you to do something for me."

I crossed my arms. "So now you need me?"

She glared at me. "Don't start with me. I will hurt you if I have to."

I rolled her eyes but let her continue.

"I need you to cover for me tomorrow. I want to go after Valentine and

Jonathan."

"By yourself?" I yelled. "Have you lost your mind?"

"It'll be too obvious if we all go," she said. "And besides, Mom will

make us go at night. But at night, that's when they're expecting us. If

I go alone, in the daylight, I can catch them while they're vulnerable.

I can probably bring Jonathan home!"

"No!" I yelled. "You're not going alone. At least let me come with you."

"No, if you come they'll know we're up to something and they'll try to

follow us. You have to stay here."

"They'll notice you're gone too," I said.

She scoffed. "Please, all they care about now is you and Jace."

It was then that I really felt for Isabelle. She was just another

troubled teen. "That's not true."

"It is. There's no need to go all sappy on me. Don't you want Jonathan

safe?"

"Of course I do!" I said. "But I don't want anyone to die trying!"

"Who said anything about dying? I'll be fine. If we wait any longer,

Valentine might try something."

I shook my head. "No, he wouldn't do that. He wants Jonathan for

something. He'll need to keep him safe."

"Ok, true, but that only gives us a little time. Mom won't want to try

anything again so soon. Please, Clary, just cover for me. Nothing's

gonna happen."

I crossed your arms. "No, I'm not caving this time. I don't know how

you can get away with all the stuff you do but I'm not letting you do

this. There's no way. I won't let you die."

"When did you decide I wasn't a shitty person?"

"When I saw how much your family loves you. And if something happens to

you and they're all heartbroken about it, it'll be my fault for letting

you do this."

"So, it's not about me?"

"Absolutely not," I said. "Honestly, I hate you with a burning passion."

She smiled. "I hate you too. Now, get the fuck out of my room."

"You swear you won't go?"

"I swear. Get out."

I stood up and was about to leave the room when she said, "Oh, and one

more thing."

I turned around.

"I know you two were doing more than you let on," she said. "Jace isn't

very subtle."

"What do you think we were doing?"

She smirked. "Your dress isn't zipped up all the way."

I checked the zipper and groaned when I realized it was only halfway

zipped.

I flipped Isabelle the bird as I left her room.

On my way back to my room, I ran into Alec.

"Hey," he said. "I'm sorry for what I said in the library."

I blinked. "Um, what was it you said in the library?"

He laughed and scratched the back of his head nervously. "Uh, well I

asked you why you didn't tell us Jonathan was your brother when you

didn't actually know until that day."

I waved it off. "Whatever, it doesn't mean anything now. I'm just glad

you came back in one piece. Isabelle told me what happened."

"Oh, yeah, it was nothing. You wouldn't believe how many times we've

seen things blow up like that. Sometimes I wish someone had a camera.

That would be awesome to show in a movie."

I laughed. "Yeah, that would be cool."

"So, you said you were talking with Isabelle. She treat you ok?"

I nodded. "Yeah, she was ok."

"Good. What were you guys talking about anyway?"

I shrugged. "Nothing much. I'll see you in the morning, Alec." And then

I went back to my room and fell asleep.

**So? What'd ya think? Did ya like it? Did ya? lol reviews make me happy!**

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	23. Chapter 23

**Hey guys! Sorry I didn't update yesterday. I went to go see Titanic and I was just so sad afterwards I couldn't get myself to do anything but cry lol But since I'm feeling better, I decided not to keep you guys waiting any longer and update. So here's chapter 23. Enjoy!**

I knew I was dreaming. I knew it because I'd had the dream before. Well, not the _exact_ dream but I've seen it before.

I was in the field by Lake Lyn. It was beautiful. The moon seemed closer than normal, stars shined so brightly, it reminded me of when the sun hits metal and then reflects back into your eyes. I almost wanted to squint.

It would've been perfect if Jace was there. But he wasn't.

A warm breeze from the lake came and blew my hair every which way.

I lowered myself to the ground and lay in the soft grass. Fireflies flew by my face. I could hear the cicadas and crickets chirping.

For the first time in a long time, I felt relaxed.

But just as soon as it came, it went.

The fireflies disappeared, the warm breeze turned into a cold wind and the moon's light seemed to dim, making the beautiful sight look dark and eerie.

Lake Lyn suddenly brightened like a fresh rune. And then an even brighter figure rose out of the lake.

I couldn't even look in that direction. It was like staring into the sun.

I could feel Raziel's strong power giving me goose bumps. I shouldn't have been afraid of him. But for some reason, I was.

I thought he would whisper words of advice but He only repeated the prophecies that have been haunting me.

"_As I look down from the sky,_

_Two warriors are at risk._

_There is a world behind the naked eye,_

_Keep your senses alert before you fall into the abyss._

_There are decisions to be made_

_Because there is a boy in the cluster_

_Who has control over the blade_

_And is infected with the blood of a monster._

_Do not worry, you will not fail,_

_For the Herondales will prevail."_

I wanted to cover my ears but I couldn't. I had lost control over my body.

"_There's evil in your heart,_

_And it wants out to play._

_Don't let it go too far,_

_I know it sounds cliché._

_Clarissa, my dear child,_

_You are a strong fighter._

_The darkness in you is wild_

_But your companion_

_Will make you brighter._

_The two of you together,_

_I've never seen such strength._

_Though darkness will not sever,_

_Love is at arm's length._

_Do not lose you ally,_

_His own destiny awaits._

_There comes a time when he will die,_

_But you must go against fate."_

When I was able to feel my arms again, I covered my eyes and closed my eyes. This _my_ dream and I was in control of it.

I tried to imagine Raziel wasn't there. That nothing was there. It took a lot of concentration but eventually it worked.

A few hours later, Jace was shaking me awake as a loud and obnoxious sound rang.

"C'mon, sleepyhead," he said over the sound of my alarm, "You've gotta get up."

I stopped the alarm and opened my eyes tiredly. "I have to?"

"I know," he said, "I'm tired too. But we have to train."

Sighing, I said, "Fine, I'm up. I'll meet you there in a few minutes."

I quickly threw on some clothes and hurried to meet Jace at the gym.

Alec and Jace were waiting for me when I walked in. "Sorry, I'm late. I slept through my alarm."

"It's ok," Alec said. "Let's get started. Come over here guys."

Jace and I followed Alec to the middle of the room where he had put down some mats. "Now, Clary, you were doing some crazy shit on the balance beam yesterday."

I blushed lightly.

"But today, I'm gonna show you some tricks."

He taught us all the flips he could do. All of them were easy for Jace to master since he was stronger than I was. But eventually I found away to master them as well.

And when we had them down, Alec grabbed a huge piece of tape and put it on the mat. "Pretend this is the beam," he said. "And do a couple flips on it."

We did. And Alec deemed us both perfect. But if we were actually on the beam, I would've broken my neck. Twice.

"Alec, I think we're going a little too fast," Jace said.

"No we're not," he said. "We are going fast though. It's because you guys are really good at this. You must've gotten an extra sip of angel blood." And then he winked. "Now, let's try it on the real beam." He looked down at his watch and I think I heard him swear.

"Don't worry about time," I said. "We've got plenty of it."

"I know we do," he said.

"What's wrong then?" Jace asked.

"Have either of you seen Isabelle?"

Looking around the gym, I hoped she was just ignoring us. Doing her nails, something. But she wasn't.

"She wasn't in her room?" Jace asked.

"No, I saw her this morning. She said she had something to take care of and she'd be back later. But I'm starting to worry."

Closing my eyes, I sighed. I should've known that Isabelle would never take orders from anyone especially me.

"I'm sure she's fine," Jace said. "She's too good of a shadowhunter."

"You're right," said Alec. "Let's keep going."

Keeping my eyes shut, I concentrated on Isabelle. Shadowhunters seemed able to do anything. I wondered if I could get a message to her.

_Come back. Come back. Come back._

_Clarissa…_

I snapped my eyes open.

"Clary?"

I looked up at Alec and Jace.

"You ok?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I'm great."

I pretended to watch Jace flip across the beam as I wondered who's voice that could've been in my head. I haven't heard him since I found out I was a shadowhunter.

When it was my turn, my thoughts were scattered. I couldn't focus on anything, let alone how to flip and keep my balance. Whenever I tried, I almost fell.

"It's your feet," Alec said. "Keep your feet together."

I did what Alec said. But after that I didn't even have the energy to flip again.

"Clary, you're doing fine," Alec said, trying to make me do something. "Just clear your head."

Clear my head? How the hell was I supposed to clear my head when Isabelle _and_ Jonathan could be dead? I should've gone out with her. God, I'm so stupid!

I took my anger out on the beam as I flipped. But I didn't pay attention to where the end of the beam was and ended up falling painfully on my ankle.

Jace was the first to get to me. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah." I was about to get up but Alec told me to stay put while he inspected it.

"Is it broken?" Jace asked.

"No," said Alec, "but I'll put an _iratz_ on it just in case."

I rolled my eyes and stood up. "There's no need. I'm ok."

"You're sure?"

I nodded.

"Alright. We'll pick this up tomorrow."

It wasn't until we got to the main hall that Jace asked, "What's going on with you? You've been acting really weird."

I shrugged without looking at him. "I guess I'm just tired."

He didn't say anything. He gave me his usual kiss before he left and that was it.

At breakfast, I hoped no one would notice Isabelle's absence. But how could you not? It was completely obvious. There was a black hole at the end of the table.

I crossed my fingers and hoped she would hurry up and walk through the door.

"Where's Isabelle?" Robert asked.

"Probably lollygagging upstairs," Maryse said as she rolled her eyes.

"Actually," Alec said as I took a huge spoonful of my food, "she said she had something to do and she'd be back later."

Maryse sighed. "We need to have a long talk with that girl."

The minute breakfast was over, I was walking up to my room with Jace hot on my heels.

"Hold on, Clary, what's the rush?"

I looked up and acted as if I had no idea what he was talking about. "What?"

"You're walking pretty fast."

"Oh, I didn't notice it," I lied.

As we approached my room, I readied myself for a swift getaway.

"Hold on." Jace grabbed my arm and made me face him. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I said through a cracky voice.

"C'mon, Clary," he said. "What happened to no more secrets?"

I sighed and grabbed his hands, contemplating on whether or not I should tell him or not. If I did and Isabelle turned out to be ok, she would kill me. But what if she wasn't ok, and I didn't tell him?

"It's Jonathan."

I slapped myself mentally. What the hell was wrong with me?

"I'm scared. Everyone's going out looking for Jonathan and Valentine and I'm just sitting here doing nothing!"

Jace grabbed my face to shut me up. "Clary, I already told you. Jonathan's fine. And we're almost done our training. Soon, we'll be able to go with the rest of them and you can look for your brother yourself."

I felt horrible. I lied to him once again. I had no idea if he'd forgive me this time.

He kissed me again and then left.

I flopped down onto my bed. There was something seriously wrong with me.

In the span of twelve hours, I managed to almost lose my virginity, put someone in danger and lied to the one I truly cared about _again_.

Finally, I stood back up and stormed out of my room and raced into Jace's.

"Clary?"

I didn't give him a chance to say anything more. "I lied to you. It's not Jonathan, I'm worried about. It's Isabelle."

"Clary, she's fine," he said. "You know she-"

"I know where she went," I said. "Well, actually, no I don't but I know she went out looking for Jonathan."

"What?"

"She came to me last night. She said she thought Jonathan was innocent and she wanted to go get him."

Jace put his hands on my shoulders. "Just calm down. You're shak-"

"Just stop talking for a second!" I interrupted. "You're not listening! Isabelle's out there and she could be dead! I have to go find her!"

"Ok, relax," he said. "Alec said she left early this morning. Probably around five. It's nine now. She doesn't have a car. She's probably arriving at Central Park now. If she's not back by dinner we'll tell my parents and go looking for her."

I groaned. "Jace, she could be dead by then!"

"She isn't dead!" he yelled. "How else can I get that through your head! You've seen her train with Alec, haven't you?"

I nodded.

"She always wins! Imagine how much harder she'll fight with real demons! She's not dead. She's not _going_ to be dead. Just stay calm."

"I'm going to Maryse."

"No!" Jace shut the door. "We can't. Isabelle will get in trouble."

"Jace, you don't seem to be understanding that-"

"Do not say she could be dead. Because it isn't a possibility. She's a fighter, trust me, I know. She's my sister. You've only known her for a few days."

I crossed my arms. "And if you think about it, you have only _really_ known her for a few days too."

Jace rolled his eyes. "Clary, I promise you, Izzy's ok. She's too stubborn to die."

"She could be hurt."

"We have steles for that."

I sighed. "You have a response to everything I say, don't you?"

"Yes. Now just sit down and watch TV with me. I miss you."

Jace tried to grab my hand but I ripped it out of his and went back to my room.

Isabelle is his sister. Maybe not his blood sister but his sister nonetheless. I _hated_ Isabelle and even I was worried. He should've been too. How could he just sit there and say he wasn't worried?

I snatched the Codex from my nightstand and tried to read. But I was so angry I could barely get the words to sink into my head.

I put the book back on the stand and sighed.

Church came out from under the bed and hopped onto my lap.

I scratched his head lightly. "Hey, Church."

He closed his blue eyes and purred.

I played with him for a few minutes and then opened my door so he could go eat.

I tried reading the Codex again but I couldn't get myself to pay attention. And the next thing I knew, I was walking down to the gym.

I strapped on some ankle weights and began to climb the wall.

It was true, Isabelle was a good fighter. Amazing even. But what if Valentine saw her? He was more experience than her. He's been watching me. What if he's been watching everyone else too? He probably knew every single one of Isabelle's tricks.

Or maybe it wasn't Valentine. It could be a bunch of his minion demons. But she wouldn't be able to take them all on. She needed backup.

_Come back, Isabelle._

_Clarissa…_

Who _was_ that? Why won't he leave me alone?

I kept climbing as I thought about the different ways Isabelle could die. Probably not the best thing to think about but what else was there to do?

If I went out there, I would probably get myself killed. And what would that do for Isabelle? And for my mother and Luke? And for the Lightwoods? And for Jace?

No matter how mad I was at him, I couldn't hurt him like that. Or them.

I made it to the top a little over ten minutes. I jumped down and went over to the punching bag.

I pictured Valentine, whatever he looked like, as the bag and punched and kicked that thing until my muscles turned to jelly.

I took a small break to worry about Isabelle some more. And then I was back up lifting weights. And that's what I did until dinner.

Worked hard for thirty minutes and then sat in a corner for five and thought about Isabelle.

I took another shower and then went down to the table for dinner.

I didn't bother to hide my anger. I sat down away from Alec and Jace and shoved food into my mouth.

"Clary?"

I looked up at Maryse.

"Are you alright, sweetie?"

"Yeah." And then I looked back down at kept eating.

"Isabelle still isn't back," Alec said.

Everyone stopped moving. Except me. I continued to stab my broccoli angrily with my fork.

"She's not?"

My fork attacked again.

"Clary?"

I looked up as I chewed unnecessarily hard.

"Do you know something?" Robert's voice was patient but firm. Isabelle was his daughter. Nice to know that _someone_ cared about her.

I glared at Jace before I said, "She went after Jonathan. She talked to me last night. I tried to get her to stay here and I thought I did but she didn't listen to me."

Maryse put down her fork. "Clary, why didn't you tell us before?"

"I don't know!" I yelled. "I don't know why! I thought she would come back. She's a good shadowhunter and I thought there was a possibility that she'd be ok but now I don't know what to think!"

"Alec, go get your gear," she said as she stood up. "We'll go looking for her. We'll find her. You two," Maryse looked at Jace and I, "stay here. We'll be back soon."

When it was just Jace and I left at the table, I had no choice but to look at him.

"I'm sorry, Clary."

I slammed my hands down on the table. "Do you even know what you're 'sorry' for?"

He didn't answer. He just looked at me with those beautiful gold eyes. But he wasn't going to get through to me with those. Not now.

"You should want to protect her!"

"I do!" he yelled back. "Isabelle's like a sister to me!"

"_Like?_ She's _like_ a sister to you? What is wrong with you? She _is_ your sister! It doesn't matter if it isn't by blood!"

"I know that! Don't lecture me now, I'm not in the mood."

"Screw you, Jace!" I said as I stood up. "You're not in the mood? Do you have any idea the shit I've been through! Every day I get up and I do what needs to be done while knowing that my father is an evil bastard and my brother may be in danger. And you have the balls to tell me that you're not _in the mood?_"

"I'm not the one who let her go in the first place!"

I threw my fork at him and while he was distracted, I leapt over the table and knocked him to the floor. I clocked him in the nose. "You are such an asshole! You must not know me at all if you think I wanted her to go!"

I stood up and ran to my room.

I screamed into my pillow as loud as I could and held back the tears that threatened to fall.

I locked the door in case Maryse and Robert saw what I did to Jace and decided to let me have before leaving.

I let myself blow off some steam before I picked up my phone and called Camille. The sun was down so she should've been waking up.

"Hello?" she said through a yawn.

"Hey, Camille," I said, trying to sound as not-angry as possible.

"Hey, Clary. What's up?"

I swallowed. "Look, I'm sorry to wake you but I did something really bad and I need your help."

"Ah, fuck. What'd you do now?" she asked in the same annoyed tone.

"It's my friend Isabelle. She went after Jonathan. I tried to convince her not to go but she didn't listen. She left early this morning and she still isn't back. Would you go looking for me?"

She sighed. "Fine. This is the bitchy one right? With the fake black hair?"

"I doubt it's fake but yes, that's her."

"Alright, I'm getting up now."

"Thanks, Camille," I said. "I really appreciate it."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll call when I find her."

"Ok. I'll talk to you later."

"Bye."

I hung up and sat back in my bed.

_Hang on, Isabelle. Camille's on her way._

**So that's it. I hope you guys liked it! I'll post an excerpt of the next chapter up on Tumblr soon so keep any eye open.**

**Review plz!**

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	24. Chapter 24

**Hey guys! Here's chapter 24 as promised! Again, sorry about the crappy snippet I posted on tumblr lol I didn't want to give too much away.**

_For the Herondales will prevail_.

I kept hearing that last line of the prophecy as I paced back in forth in my room. What did it mean? Herondale had to be a name. So the Herondales would prevail. But who were they?

Every time I thought of their name, a picture came to my mind. It was a piece of jewelry. But why was a ring manifesting itself when I thought of Herondale?

I had drawn the ring in my sketchbook over an hour ago. I kept looking at it to see if there was something I missed.

I examined every line I drew carefully. The only thing I saw was the design on the ring. It was probably the family crest or something. But other than that, I found nothing. I had to ask Magnus.

After a couple hours, I became tired of being holed up in my room. So I left to get something to drink.

When I went into the kitchen, I could see that Jace was still sitting in the dining room.

When he looked up, I could see that nasty purplish-blue mark on his eye.

"What?" he asked after a couple seconds.

I rolled my eyes. "God, you're so pathetic." I took out my stele that I learned to start carrying with me and drew an _iratz_ on him.

My phone vibrated in my pocket.

I ripped it out quickly.

It was a text message from Camille.

_Found Isabelle. Simon's taking her to you. Be there soon._

I sighed in relief.

"What?" Jace asked.

"Isabelle's ok," I said. "Simon's got her. Camille said he'd be here soon." And the minute I said it, the church bells rang.

Jace and I ran to the door.

I was expecting to see Isabelle standing next to Simon, yelling at him because of something stupid he did. Or maybe to see Isabelle walk through the door and shut the door in front of Simon. But neither of those happened.

Simon was holding a perfectly still Isabelle who had a big red stain in the side of her side.

"What the hell happened?"

"She was being held hostage by a bunch of demons and someone shot her," he said quickly. "Here take her, I gotta go find Camille."

Jace took Isabelle. "Meet me in the infirmary." he said as he ran.

Simon was about to leave but I stopped him.

"Wait! Simon, what happened?"

"I don't have time to explain," he said. "But Camille's fighting a bunch of demons without me. I'll call you tonight and tell you the details."

"Simon!" I called again.

He turned around.

"Be careful."

"Of course." And then he was gone.

I closed the door and ran to catch up with Jace.

"C'mon, Clary!" I heard him yell.

I followed his voice up the stairs and then zigzagged through a bunch of hallways and found another set of stairs that I've never seen before.

On the first room on the left was the infirmary.

Jace and set Isabelle down on one of the beds. He had removed her shirt and was staring at the wound.

I pushed him out of my way and looked. It was the bullet wound. "Are there any other injuries?"

"Just a few scrapes and cuts."

I nodded. "Get me some alcohol and tweezers."

"Tweezers?"

"Something that I can grab the bullet with, Jace!"

He gave me a bottle of hydrogen peroxide and a bullet puller.

I poured some of the peroxide on the bullet puller and then a little on the wound. I tried not to grimace when I saw the blood begin to bubble and sizzle.

"Do you think she can feel it?" I asked while looking at Isabelle.

"I have no idea."

I sighed. "Sorry, Isabelle." I tried to pull out the bullet carefully but quickly so Isabelle wouldn't feel it for too long. "Get me something to put on top of this."

Jace handed me some gauze and some sort of patch. I put it on top of the wound and then drew an iratz on her.

"I'll go get her a new shirt," Jace said as he left the room.

I nodded. "Ok, I'll call Maryse."

I pulled out my phone and dialed her number. She answered on the first ring.

"Clary? What's wrong?"

"Isabelle's here," I said.

"She is?"

"Yeah. Simon brought her."

"Is she hurt?" she asked nervously.

"Yes," I said regretfully. "She was shot. I pulled out the bullet out and drew an _iratz_ on her."

"Ok, you did good, Clary. We'll be there as fast as we can."

"Ok," I said. "And I'm sorry I didn't tell you what happened before."

"It's ok. Isabelle's safe now."

I hung up and sat down next to Isabelle as Jace came in with Isabelle's shirt. It was a red button up shirt.

Jace's black eye didn't look as bad anymore. I could see the _iratz_ glowing on his arm.

After Jace finished putting on Isabelle's shirt, he said, "I'm gonna go back to my room. Wanna come? We can talk."

I appreciated he wanted to fix things. I wanted to fix them too. But I was just too tired. "Nah, I think I'm gonna stay here tonight."

I could tell he was disappointed even though he tried to hide it. "Ok. I guess I'll see you tomorrow morning. Do you need anything? Your iPod or something?"

I shook my head. "No, I'm ok. Goodnight, Jace."

"'Night, Clary."

I curled up on the chair and fell asleep.

After what felt like only a few seconds of sleep, I heard someone calling my name.

Still half asleep, I peeked open one eye and saw Isabelle.

"Thanks," she whispered.

I nodded tiredly and went back to sleep.

I woke up to soft whispering voices.

Opening my eyes, I saw Maryse, Robert and Alec talking to Isabelle who was now awake.

"Hey, Clary," Alec said when he saw me.

I sat up. "Hey." I looked at Isabelle. "How are you feeling?"

She smiled and removed the bandage. "Look, it's just a little scab now."

I smiled too. "Good. I'm glad."

"You did amazingly well, Clary," said Robert. "Thank you."

"Jace helped too," I said.

"Where is he?" Maryse asked.

"In his room. He might be sleeping but I'm not sure."

"You guys should get some rest," Isabelle said.

They all agreed they needed some sleep. They said their goodnights to Isabelle and left the room.

"You too, Clary."

I looked at her. "Will you be ok?"

"Of course, I will. I'll see you tomorrow morning, alright?"

I nodded. "Ok. Get some rest, Isabelle."

I was about to leave when she said, "Nice punch by the way."

I gave her a confused look.

"Alec said you socked Jace pretty hard today."

I grimaced. I didn't like to think about that punch. I hated knowing that I caused Jace pain. And I hurt myself a little too. "Did he tell you why?"

"He did. So, thanks."

I smiled. "Goodnight, Iz."

When I walked into my room, I got into my pajamas. I wasn't tired but I crawled into bed anyway.

I almost went to grab my iPod when my phone rang. I almost forgot Simon was going to call me.

"Hey, Si. Is Camille ok?"

"Yeah," he said. "She went hunting a few minutes ago."

"Ok. So, tell me what happened."

"Well, Camille woke me up after you called her. She said that one of your friends were in trouble and we had to go find her. So we went out looking. I didn't know where to start but Camille said to use my sense of smell."

"Smell?" I asked.

"Yeah. To smell the demons."

"You can smell them?"

"Uh-huh. They smell _terrible_."

I laughed.

"But anyway, she said to follow the smell that dominated all the others. And we found ourselves near central park. There was this building with a bunch of people guarding it. Some of them were humans but the others were demons. And that's where Camille and I split up. I went to check upstairs and Camille went downstairs."

"You didn't kill anyone, did you?"

"No! Not humans anyway. I tried not to hurt them too bad. But I was almost on the roof when I heard Camille calling for me. I went down and met her in the basement. She was fighting a bunch of demons and Isabelle was chained to a wall. Her shirt was ripped and pool of blood was surrounding her."

I shuddered. It must've been an Ahiab. They were the only demons that tried to rape their victims before killing them. Poor Isabelle.

"And if you ever kill a demon, watch out for their blood."

"What?"

"When you kill them, they explode into a disgusting pile of black blood. And if it touches you, it burns you. And when it hits the floor, it dissolves."

"Ew."

"Yeah. But anyway, I found the key on one guy and unlocked Isabelle from the wall. Then we ran out but there were a lot more demons out to get us. Camille told me to get Isabelle out of there and she would hold the rest of them off."

"Wow. So Valentine's got a whole army of demons and people defending him?"

"Apparently. He'll probably replace the ones he lost today."

"You didn't happen to see either him or Jonathan, did you?"

"No, sorry."

I sighed. "It's ok. Well, I'm pretty tired. I'll talk to you later."

"Ok. See you later, Clary."

I hung up and forced myself to go to sleep.

The next morning, Jace and I had to train. Isabelle was there with Alec but he said she was just going to watch.

Isabelle looked a lot better. She wasn't as pale. Here long black hair was braided. And for the first time, I got to see her without makeup. She looked nice.

Alec put me and Jace back on the beam to perfect our flips. And now that I didn't have so many things on my mind, I was able to concentrate and get it right.

Isabelle coached us from the sidelines.

"Ok," Alec said. "Now I'm gonna teach you the duck'n'roll."

"It should really be called the roll'n'duck," Isabelle said.

Alec rolled his eyes as I tried not to laugh. It was good to have Isabelle back.

I knew what it was thanks to how many games I've seen Simon play on the Xbox.

Alec showed us how to do it. He said it was good for when we were jumping off somewhere a little bit too high. It would probably still hurt but it would keep us from breaking something.

Me and Jace were able to get this one pretty quickly. It wasn't that hard to do. On ground level.

Alec put us back onto the balance beam after a few practice tries.

"What if we break our arms?" I asked.

Alec and Isabelle laughed. "Trust me, you won't."

Jace and I jumped at the same time and rolled just as our heads touched the floor.

"Good," said Alec. "See? What did I tell you?"

I laughed. "Yeah, yeah. What now?"

"Now, I'm gonna show you guys some sparring moves. We'll start with a little defense."

He taught us how to block hits and how to dodge them if the enemy is too strong. And while we were practicing, Isabelle helped us get our stances right.

After a few moves, we were dismissed.

"Hey, Clary."

I turned to Isabelle.

"Walk with me to my room. I wanna talk to you."

"Ok."

I followed her but she didn't say anything. I was a little nervous at first but when I couldn't find any anger in her face, that nervousness turned into awkwardness. I wasn't good at small talk and I felt like I had to say something. But I didn't.

I was glad when we finally entered her room.

Isabelle closed the door. "Sit down."

"Are you sure? I'm pretty sweaty," I said through a laugh.

She smiled. "It's fine, sit down."

I did what she said and she sat down next to me.

"Look," she said, "I know I've put you through a lot of shit since you got here…"

I tried not to look like I was amused.

"…but what you did yesterday was really brave."

"Technically, I wasn't the one who saved you," I said, "it was Simon."

"It was Simon?"

I nodded. "Yeah, no one told you?"

"No, I was unconscious. But my point is, even though you weren't the one who brought me home, no one would've found me if it weren't for you."

"Don't worry about it, Isabelle." I was about to leave but she grabbed my shoulder and made me face her.

"I'm not finished."

If it weren't for the look on her face, I would've left. Before I thought she was just apologizing because she felt like she had to but now I could see that she wasn't doing this because she thought she had to but because she wanted to.

"I know I make things hard on you all the time, especially in training. But I want you to know that you're good. Really good. Maybe even too good."

I laughed.

"No, really. It's like you're purer than us."

"Purer?" I repeated.

"I think you have more of Raziel's blood in you than the rest of us do," she said.

"Oh."

"But you're a good shadowhunter. Maybe we can get Maryse and Robert to tag you along next time."

I smiled. "I'd like that."

"Ok." She stood up. "I'm done confessing. You can leave now."

Rolling my eyes playfully, I got up and went to my room to shower.

At breakfast, Robert and Maryse made Isabelle tell everyone what she saw while she was out.

Since Simon already told me what he saw, I prepared myself for an even uglier story.

But soon, I found out there was no need. I swear Isabelle was a real life Laura Croft.

"I mean, I was killing everyone!" Then she saw the look on her parents' faces. "Well, except for the mundanes. But was so crazy! If only someone had been recording me, I would've put that shit on YouTube."

"Isabelle!"

"Alright, alright! So, I made my way up to the roof and…" she paused and looked at me.

I nodded trying to encourage her to continue.

"…and there was Jonathan."

I sputtered out my water. Jace and Alec had to pat my back to keep me from choking.

I took another sip of water to quiet my coughs. "Sorry, go on."

"When I went over to him, he looked scared. And then he saw me. He asked if I was Clary."

I swallowed.

"I told him no but I could take him to her. I turned around and that's when I was shot by one of the mundane guards."

"So you were gonna take him here?" Alec said. "What if he was working with Valentine?"

"He wasn't," she said. "When he saw I got shot, he asked if I was ok. Then he looked at the guard and he started yelling at him. He was about to go fight him but I told him to stay back and fought him myself."

"While you were shot?"

"Yes, while I was shot, Alec. I couldn't risk Jonathan getting hurt. I took the guy down, didn't kill him," she said for her parents, "I just knocked him out. I stood out and was about to tell Jonathan to make a break for it when the demon came behind me and knocked _me_ out."

I smiled, knowing that Isabelle and I were right the whole time. Jonathan was innocent.

"What happened next?" Jace asked.

"I woke up in the infirmary."

"That's all you remember?" I asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"You don't remember the Ahiab?"

"The Ahiab? How do you know if there was an Ahiab there?" she asked.

"Simon told me what he saw," I said. I was about to tell her the rest but I decided against it. I still had dreams from when an Ahiab attacked me.

"Did he attack me?" she asked.

I shouldn't have said anything. I nodded cautiously.

She groaned. "Oh, I'm _so_ gonna get my revenge on that son of a bitch."

"Language, Isabelle," warned Maryse.

She rolled her eyes.

"Ok, after we eat," Maryse continued, "Alec and Isabelle, meet your father and I in the library. We'll discuss our next battle."

"Yes!"

We all looked at Isabelle.

"What?" she asked.

"That means," Robert said, "that you need to get as much rest as possible. You're still recovering from all loss of blood."

"Whatever."

After we finished eating, Jace took my arm gently.

"Can we talk?" he asked. "In my room?"

I guess it was time to fix things. "Sure. But can I have a few minutes?"

"Sure. Meet me when your ready."

When I got into my room, I grabbed my phone and called Magnus.

"Hey, Spitfire, I haven't talked to you in a while. Can you give me anymore details about you and Loverboy?"

I bit my lip. "Well…"

"Oh! There _is_ something! Tell me!"

"You can officially call us a couple now."

"Ah, nice! How'd it happen?"

"It was right after I told him Jonathan was my brother," I said.

"Well, I'm guessing he took it well."

I laughed. "Very well."

"Well, that's awesome! Oh, I'm sorry, sweetie. What did you call for?"

"I actually wanted to ask if you could come over tonight. I had a vision and I was wonder if you could help me decipher it."

"Sure. But did you want me to come tonight or now?"

"Tonight. I'm caught up in a little something."

"Oh. Well, then I'll come tonight."

"Ok, thanks. And also, could you buy something from the store for me? I'll pay you back."

"Don't worry about the money, I've got it. What do you need."

"Vitamin B. It's for Isabelle."

"What does she need that for?" Magnus asked.

"It's a long story. I'll tell you when you get here."

"Alright. I'll see you tonight then."

"Thanks, Magnus."

"You're welcome."

I hung up and then went to go meet Jace in his room.

**Yep. That's it. lol I hope you guys liked it. I think next chapter will be a little better. Maybe Clary will start getting answers.**

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	25. Chapter 25

**Hey guys! Sorry I didn't update yesterday. I was kinda feeling crappy. But I'm better now so here's chapter 25. Enjoy!**

I sat down on Jace's bed and looked down at my hands. _I_ should've been the one apologizing, not him. I mean, I did punch him in the face.

I forced myself to make eye contact with him. And when I did, I was glad to see that his black eye was gone.

I opened my mouth to speak but Jace put his hand up to stop me.

"Hold on," he said. "Let me get this out."

I nodded and let him talk.

"I know you're pissed at me," he said. "And I can understand why. I appreciate how much you care for Isabelle even after everything she did to you."

I wanted to tell him that Isabelle and I had a sort of understanding but I decided to wait until he was finished.

"But I'm a good brother. I love her like a brother should. And I didn't like the way you called me out on it."

I gave him an apologetic look.

"But I was scared. And in denial. I'm sorry I didn't listen to you. Because Isabelle really could have died out there."

"I know you were scared," I said. "I was scared too. And I know you're a good brother, Jace. I am so sorry for everything I said to you and for hitting you." I stood up and traced my fingers around his now healed eye. "I was just so worried about Isabelle."

"I know."

I wrapped my arms around his waist. For a second, I thought he wasn't going to hug me back. But he did.

"I don't like fighting with you, Jace."

"Neither do I," he said lightly.

I sighed. "But we seem to do it a lot."

He pulled away and looked me in the eye. "Then let's not fight anymore."

I smiled. "Deal." I leaned in and kissed him.

Jace pulled me close to him as I played with his hair.

When someone cleared their throat, we pulled away quickly.

I was shocked to see Maryse in the doorway.

It wasn't like Jace and I were trying to hide our relationship from his parents. We just never mentioned it.

I thought she was going to yell at us at first. But when she said calmly, "Doors were invented for a reason," and then she closed the door.

Jace looked at me as he laughed. "That was awkward."

"You think?"

Jace turned on the TV and we watched the last of the morning cartoons.

"Hey," Jace said.

I looked over at him.

"Look." He pointed to my arm. "You're building muscle."

I looked down. Then up at his arm. "Maybe some day I'll be as big as you."

He scrunched up his face. "Ew, no. That'd be gross."

When the cartoons were over. Jace and I were constantly changing the channel. And if there was nothing on, we entertained ourselves with each other.

My lips were glued to Jace's when my phone rang. I tried to ignore it but after the third ring, I had to pull myself away. And I was glad I did.

I quickly answered the phone. "Simon? It's quarter to one."

"I know," he said hoarsely.

"Go back to sleep."

"I can't," he said. "I need your help."

I looked at the time again to make sure I wasn't going crazy. Still quarter to one. "With what?"

He was silent.

"Si? You there?"

"I'm standing outside."

"Oh my God! Simon, get back inside before you kill yourself!"

"Nothings happening," he whispered. "I should be dying but nothings happening."

"Not at all?"

"Nothing," he repeated.

I ran a hand through my hair. "Ok, stay there. I'll come and get you."

I snapped my phone shut.

"What's going on?" Jace asked as he followed me out of the room.

"Something's wrong with Simon. He's out in the sun when he should be burning."

I stopped suddenly when I almost ran into Isabelle.

"It's probably your blood," she said.

I blinked. How had she known Simon bit and drank from me? But then I remembered how Maia had to carry me home that night. I guess it was pretty obvious.

I was about to thank Isabelle sincerely when my phone rang again.

Sighing, I answered it. "Give me a couple minutes. I'm not as fast as you."

"I'm here."

"Simon!" I whined miserably. "I told you to wait for me!"

"Sorry."

I rolled my eyes and hung up.

"Simon's here?" Isabelle asked.

I nodded.

"Isn't he a vamp?"

I was about to chastise her for her use of the word but then Jace interrupted me when he said, "He's also the one who brought you back here safely."

"But it's almost one!" she said ignoring Jace completely.

"Exactly."

Isabelle followed Jace and I downstairs and to the door. And when we opened it, not only was Simon standing in the bright sun, but he was standing on holy ground.

"Simon, can you step inside?" I asked.

"Isn't this a church?" he asked. "I'm a vampire."

"Technically, you're already standing on holy ground," Jace said. "Just try it."

Simon froze. And when I say froze, I really mean froze. He was perfectly still. As a rock. Didn't even breath.

But after a moment of me and Jace encouraging him, he took a hesitant step inside the church.

"Do you feel anything?" I asked when his whole body was inside.

He shook his head.

"It's your blood, Clary," Isabelle said, announcing her presence to Simon."

"What?"

I pulled Simon to a chair and Jace closed the door behind him.

It was only after he was inside that I noticed Simon's brown eyes were now a bright blue.

I guess that's what happens when you turn into a vampire.

Isabelle explained her theory to simon.

"Nephilim have blood of an angel running through them. An Archangel to be specific. His name is Raziel.

"What does this have to do with me?" Simon asked.

"Just listen," Isabelle said.

I couldn't help but give her a weird look. If anyone else interrupted her like that, we would've gotten our heads chopped off. But with Simon she actually seemed patient.

"When you were first changed, you attacked Clary." Isabelle was speaking slowly and calmly. That was so unfair. What made Simon so friggin' special?

"I did?" He looked at me with wide eyes.

"It's ok," I said. "I'm still living and breathing."

Simon turned back to Isabelle.

"So now Raziel's blood is running through you. And seeing you're not dead, He seems to approve."

"So, that's why I can walk in the sun and on holy ground?"

She nodded. "He's protecting you. For a reason."

"And what reason might that be?" Jace asked.

Isabelle looked at Jace and I. You could tell there was a difference in the way she was looking at us and the way she looked at Simon. A little less cooperative and a whole lot less patient. "That's what we'll find out."

At this point, I was extremely jealous. Isabelle has never been that nice to me. She came close while she was thanking me for saving her life.

Although, now that I think about it, Simon actually did the saving part.

I looked at Simon and Isabelle. Simon was wearing that goofy grin when he did something with Maia and Isabelle seemed a little too…free, I guess.

"Well, why don't you hang out with Clary and Jace for a bit?" Isabelle said as she stood up. "I'm just gonna go upstairs to grab something from my room. I'll be right back."

I glared at Isabelle's back as she left the room. "How are you and Maia doing?" The question came out a little too harshly than I intended but I didn't want Simon to get involved with Isabelle. Even though we've learned to tolerate each other, I knew she could attract trouble. And that's my nice way of saying that she's probably the one who starts most of it.

"Who's Maia?" Jace asked.

"His girlfriend," is said it to inform Jace and to remind Simon.

"We're fine."

I raised a brow. "Just fine?"

Simon didn't glare at me but the look he gave was firm enough to tell me he didn't want to talk about it. "We're fine."

As we talked we tried to stay away from subjects like Maia, Valentine and Jonathan. Which was everything I _could_ talk about at that time. I hadn't exactly been socializing. So, we let Simon do the talking.

Mostly he complained about how strict Camille was being. But when he finally got off the topic, he started talking about his band. When he said he was having trouble trying to figure out what to tell his mother and his band members about his immortality, I told him to just say it. It was a big secret and he would lose them if he kept it secret for too long.

But then Simon got mad again and we had to put vampirism on the "No Talking List" too.

And just when I thought we weren't going to be able to talk about anything at all, Isabelle came back downstairs. She had taken out her braid and straightened her hair. Her eyelashes were darker and her lips looked very shiny. She ditched her loose-fitting button up shirt for a tight Aeropostale shirt and shorts.

Simon and I used to make fun of the girls who dressed like that at Pandemonium. And I expected him to do the same here. But he didn't. He did the exact opposite actually.

I saw him straighten his back. He made eye contact, greeted her and then looked back and Jace and I and pretended to finish a conversation that we weren't having.

That was a trick that _I_ taught him. Don't stare at the girl but don't ignore her either.

My God, I couldn't believe he was actually falling for Isabelle's little act. She didn't care about him. She just wanted to repay him to make things "even" again. I knew how girls like her worked. She swears that she does everything for the best of others but in reality she only cares for herself. Maybe she doesn't know it or maybe she does and she tries to make up for it by fighting demons. But either way, I wasn't happy with Isabelle at the moment.

All of us were actually attempting to have a casual conversation. It was going well. Sort of. But after a while, Isabelle and Simon started talking about music. Simon boasted about how "great" of a guitarist he was. But even Isabelle knew he was tone deaf. You could tell by how many times his voice cracked in one sentence.

I couldn't believe he was actually flirting with her. And Isabelle was flirting back! This seemed like a little much for just a thank you.

Rolling my eyes, I left with Jace as he pretended to puke over his shoulder.

We hung out in the study because if we holed ourselves up in our rooms any longer, we were sure to go crazy.

We made jokes about Simon and Isabelle. How long they would last if they got together. Jace said seven days. I said seven hours.

We ended up going downstairs every fifteen minutes to spy on the two. By lunch, Isabelle was practically in his lap.

"God," Jace whispered. "When will they pull their heads out of their asses?"

I laughed into my hands.

"Simon, you should _totally_ get back with your band."

I had no idea Isabelle was capable of talking like that.

"Your band would get so much more attention if you told them you were a vampire. I mean, it's not like they would believe you. The mundane, I mean."

"I don't even think Camille would let me," Simon said regretfully.

Good, Si, I thought. Don't let her control everything in your life.

"Camille isn't your mother."

"I guess your right."

Spoke too soon.

With a roll of my eyes, I dragged Jace back upstairs with me. I knew Isabelle was going to find a way to get Simon into trouble.

Right after dinner, I was about to get myself comfortable in my bed when the church bells rang. It must've been Magnus.

Groaning, I got back up and went to answer the door. "Hey, Magnus."

"Hey, girlie." Magnus almost skipped inside. "Here're the vitamins you asked for."

I took them. "Thanks. I'll wait for you in my room."

"Won't _I_ be the one waiting for _you_?"

I shook my head. "Go visit Alec. I know you don't get to see each other a lot."

His eyes lightened. "You're the best."

I shrugged. "So I've heard."

As Magnus took the elevator, I went to find Isabelle.

I found her in her room, putting on a coat of black nail polish on her toes. No matter how mad I was, I needed her fully healed so she could help find Jonathan, wherever he was.

I knocked on the door.

"Hey, Clary," she said without looking up. "What's up?"

"I got you some vitamins." I placed them on her dresser. "Take three a day."

"What'd you get them for?" she asked.

"It's vitamin B," I said. "It'll help replace the blood you lost."

"I'm sure I'm ok now," she said.

"Just take them."

She looked up. "That actually sounded a bit like me."

That comment scared me more than anything. So, without saying anything more, I went to my room and waited for Magnus.

I read the Codex as I waited.

About an hour later, Magnus walked in.

"You two have fun?" I asked.

"You know it." Magnus closed the door behind him. "So, what was it you wanted to ask me?"

I took out the drawing of the ring. "So there's this prophecy. At the end it says the Herondales will prevail. And whenever I think of Herondale, I think of this. What is it and who are the Herondales?"

"The Herondales…" Magnus gently picked up my sketchbook and sat down next to me, deep in thought. "I remember them very clearly."

"How long ago was it?" I asked.

"One hundred and thirty-four years ago."

I tried to do the math in my head but I was useless without a calculator.

"The year was 1878. Camille and I were still together."

That made me smile.

"She was the only person I cared about. She was so damaged and fragile. But so strong and independent at the same time. She never failed to amaze me every day. But enough about Camille." He cleared his throat and continued the story. "I had never paid a whole lot of attention to the Herondales. I was familiar with them but only saw them as the usual Nephilim. But 1878 was the year that changed. It was the year Therese Gray came into the picture."

"Who's that?" I asked.

"She was the one who saved us all. She was your average heroine. You actually remind me of her."

I rolled my eyes, knowing he was only trying to boost my confidence.

"The two of her share latent power. You have no idea how important the two of you are." Magnus gave me a serious look. I looked at him back, waiting for him to continue. "With the help of Miss Gray, the Herondales defeated DeQuincey."

I was about to ask who he was but Magnus was already on it.

"DeQuincey, basically, was the bad guy. That's all you need to know. A very bad guy. A bad guy that not even the Clave could catch."

"Yeesh."

Magnus chuckled. "Exactly. But the Herondales were very powerful. I was actually very close to one. He was the one who changed me."

I had no idea what he meant by the term "changed" but I didn't say anything.

"His name was William Herondale. He had dark black hair and the brightest blue eyes I've ever seen. Very handsome, and he knew it. The boy _invented_ arrogance. I was sure he could never love anyone more than himself. But again, this was the year Theresa Gray came in and changed _everything_. Somehow, she managed to steal William's heart."

This was supposed to be a serious matter but I kept getting lost in the romance. God, when did I become such a girl?

"Magnus, as much as I'm enjoying this story," I said politely, "but where does the ring come in all this?"

"Oh, right!" He smiled. "My apologies, Madame. This was the family crest. The whole family wore it. They passed this ring on and on. I had never seen such an old heirloom make it so far in time. But eventually, it was lost."

"Who was the last person who had it?" I asked.

"I honestly have no idea."

"Do you think there are still Herondales out there today?" I asked.

"Oh, of course. If you find one, they'll be a good ally."

I nodded. "Thanks, Magnus."

"Surely, darlin'. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"No, you helped me a great deal, Magnus."

"Alrighty. I'm gonna go see Alec before I go. But I'll see you later sweet-cheeks."

He kissed the knuckles on my hand and then went after Alec.

I grabbed my pencil and wrote down the names Magnus mentioned in case I needed them again.

DeQuincey.

William Herondale.

Theresa Gray.

Magnus seemed to know a lot of the Herondales. And Magnus was seeing Camille. Maybe I'd talk to her too.

Every day I got closer to solving both prophecies. But one day, I'd have the answer.

**And there ya have it. Did you like it? Yes? No? Maybe? Lol leave me a review! But no flames. I got sort of a flaming review a couple days ago so I'd appreciate it if you didn't flame. Only constructive critisism.**

**Review plz! (but gently. I'm a sensitive person :)**

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	26. Chapter 26

**Hey guys! Welcome back. I hope you guys are enjoying your weekend. I am. I just had the best shopping day evaaa! lol Well, here's chapter 26. Enjoy!**

I thought Isabelle was only going to be nice for one day. I thought it was something she needed to get out of her system and then she'd be back to normal. But her kindness rolled over to the next day as well. Alec even checked her for a fever.

In training, I realized how easy things were. Either Isabelle was going easy on me or I was doing extremely well. I decided it was Isabelle. I was never this good in training. Especially when we were learning something new.

But things sure did get challenging toward the end.

We were learning how to fight. Isabelle and Alec called it sparring but I liked fighting better.

"This part is hard," Isabelle said after Alec finished teaching us some moves. "We can teach you how to perform every move perfectly. But when you're going one on one and under pressure, you have to think fast. We can't teach you that. The best thing to do is relax. Don't stress and let your instincts control you."

Awesome. I had no instinct. My first thought would be to haul ass the other way.

Isabelle stood in front of Jace and stared at him.

After glancing from her to me, he asked, "What?"

Isabelle shook her head. "Nothing."

I gave Alec a confused look but he wasn't looking at me. He was looking at Isabelle. He knew what she was doing.

They didn't move. They just stared at each other.

I stifled a yawn as I waited.

And when the silence became too much, I said, "What are you doing?"

Isabelle didn't answer.

Jace waved his hand in front of Isabelle's face to see if she was awake. And while he was distracted, Isabelle sent a kick toward him but Jace ducked and then took her down.

"Good," Isabelle said. "That's how you have to be in a real fight."

Had Isabelle tried it with me, I would've been on the other side of the room with urine dripping down my leg.

"You wanna try, Clary?"

Isabelle was starting to scare me at this point. Since when did she ask before acting? The old Isabelle would've dragged me in front of her and force me to play along.

"No thank," I said. "I'm good."

"C'mon, it's easy," said Alec. "Try it with me."

Although I still didn't want to do it, I trusted Alec more than I did Isabelle.

If she wasn't a ticking anger-bomb, she definitely was now. I was afraid that one wrong comment would send her over the edge.

I got into the ready position as he approached me.

"That's a good stance." He grabbed my hands and made me stand up straight. "But just relax for now."

I let my arms hang at my sides. I didn't like it but I had to.

The hairs on the back of my neck started to stick up the more I looked at Alec.

The muscles in my fingers twitched. For what I didn't know.

Just knowing that he was going to do something got me all jittery. How was I going to block it. Could I block it? What move was he going to do?

All these questions ran through my head. Doing this under pressure was hard. And everyone expected me to be able to do this with _demons_. This was insane.

After a few more seconds, I actually thought he wasn't going to do anything. But you know how this goes. Once I thought it, he did the exact opposite.

Alec stepped forward. I didn't even get a chance to figure out what he was about to do before I jumped away. But I moved too fast for my feet to keep up and I ended up falling on my ass.

Sighing, I let Alec help me up.

"It's ok, Clary," he laughed. "No one's perfect. Let's try it again."

I tried not to roll my eyes. Their pep-talk was really starting to aggravate me.

"Watch me this time."

With frustration, I said, "I _was_ watching you."

"You were but you were panicking at the same time. Loosen up."

I took a deep breath.

"You're still tense," said Isabelle.

I gave her an annoyed look, not caring how close or not close she was to blowing up.

Isabelle stood behind me and placed her hands on my shoulders. "Shoulders down."

I relaxed my shoulders and neck muscles by rolling them back and forth as Isabelle put her hands on my stomach.

"Breathe through your abdomen, not your chest."

Then she grabbed my hands. "No fists."

After I was finished with Isabelle's yoga session, I found myself to be more comfortable.

She took her spot next to Jace who was smiling at me.

I smiled back and then turned back to Alec.

I saw no tension in Alec at all. His breathing was even. He was even smiling a little.

A couple seconds later, I aw the muscle in his arm flex and I knew he was going to try to throw a punch.

I blocked it the way he taught us. And when he grabbed me, I reversed it and then pinned him to the floor.

Isabelle laughed as I helped Alec back up.

"Holy shit!" she laughed. "Alec, did you see your face?" She doubled over in hysterics.

"No, actually," Alec said. "Since my eyes are attached to my face, I can't _see_ my face."

I ignored her laughter and left with Jace after Alec said we were finished for the day.

"We're almost done training," Jace said with a smile as we walked down the hall."

"Yeah, I guess we are."

He looked at me. "Aren't you excited?"

I shrugged. "Sure."

"Isn't this what you wanted?" he asked as we started the stairs. "Weren't you complaining a few nights ago about how you hated staying behind?"

I laughed. "Yeah, that was me. I guess I'm just nervous. It seems hard to do in the gym. Imagine how hard it'll be out there."

Jace squeezed my hand reassuringly. "You have nothing to worry about. You're a great shadowhunter. You got half the stuff so quick."

I scoffed. "Do you not remember our first days of training? You were _so_ much better than me. I thought _you_ would've been helping Alec train me if Isabelle didn't show up."

He laughed. "Yeah, right."

"No, I'm serious! I should've recorded it. You were so good."

"Whatever."

I shoved him playfully. "Don't 'whatever' me. I know what I'm talking about."

We parted ways to our rooms so we could shower.

After getting all of the sweat off of me and changing out of my training clothes, I made my way down to the kitchen.

On my way, I ran into Isabelle, who was probably on her way to the library to finish thinking of a plan for their outing tonight.

I was about to just step around her but Isabelle mimicked my steps.

"Is there something going on between the two of us?"

I lifted a brow. "Excuse me?"

"You've been acting a little weird around me. Do you want me to be a bitch again? 'Cause I can do that."

I crossed my arms and glared at her. "That's what's wrong. That right there."

She looked down as if I were talking about her outfit.

"If you want to be my friend, then be my friend. If you don't, then leave me the hell alone." I was about to leave when I turned around. "And do the same with Simon. He's too oblivious to know when he's being played."

"What did you just say to me?"

I rolled my eyes and kept walking. "You heard me."

I found Jace in the kitchen cutting bananas on top of his cereal.

"Hey," I greeted as I grabbed myself a bowl.

"Hey. Everyone's in the library."

"Yeah, I ran into Isabelle on my way down here."

I carried my bowl to the table with Jace.

"The two of you have been really close lately."

I stifled a laugh.

"I'm glad you two are getting along now."

I smiled. "Me too." I took a bite of my cereal. "Oh, Jace! Guess what?"

"What?"

"I had a vision the other night."

He put his fork down, his face harder than usual. "And you didn't tell me."

I grimaced. "It was while we were fighting. I know that's not a good excuse but it's not like it's life or death."

Jace sighed. "Ok, what is it?"

"It's a picture of a ring. I can show you when we go upstairs. But I didn't know what it was supposed to mean or who it belonged to. So, I got Magnus to come over."

"And? What did he say?"

"He said that on the ring was the Herondale family crest."

"Herondale?" he asked.

I nodded. "Sound familiar?"

"That name was in the prophecy!"

"Uh-huh. They go back all the way to the nineteenth century."

"Cool, so did you find anything interesting about them?"

I shrugged. "Kind of. Magnus said there was someone that was kind of like Valentine except much stronger. And the Herondales took him out. So they were really powerful. But Camille was alive then too. I was thinking about going to see her later. Maybe she could add on to what Magnus told me."

"Can I come?"

I smiled. "I was literally just about to ask you that. When do you wanna go?"

"As soon as we can."

I nodded. "Ok, so at sundown, we'll go."

"Sweet."

Jace and I wandered around the place, acting as if we were doing something important. But we really weren't.

We were just walking up and down the hallways, talking about what we think the Herondales looked like, what they did, stuff like that.

But once that got old, we stood by the doors of the library and listened in on what they were talking about.

Maryse and Robert predicted that Valentine and Jonathan were hiding out inside the Chrysler Building. Apparently there were a lot of demon attacks there and they wanted to check it out.

Eventually, we got tired of all the shadowhunter talk so we made ourselves some lunch and ate it in one of the rooms that had a good view of the front of the building with the windows open. This way, we could pretend that we were outside.

"This is kind of nice," Jace said. "I would've had this be our first date if we weren't being chased by demons."

I smiled. "Well, it could be our third if you'd like."

"I do like."

I kissed him chastely. "I thought you might. We don't get a lot of time just to be a couple. I feel like we're constantly being shadowhunters."

"We are shadowhunters," he replied.

Rolling my eyes, I said, "You know what I mean."

Jace took my hand. "Then let's stop talking about it and be us for once."

Smiling, I leaned in and gave him a real kiss.

Jace's hand cradled my face while his other pulled me closer to him.

I licked his bottom lip. And with a low chuckle, he opened his mouth.

He tangled his fingers in my wavy red hair. He massaged my head, which felt really nice. All of the stress of demons and supernatural creatures gave me a permanent headache. And Jace was my medicine.

I climbed into his lap and wrapped my arms around his neck.

When Jace pulled away quickly, I thought I did something wrong.

"What?" I asked. "What did I do?"

"Nothing," he said a little breathlessly. "I just…"

I smiled and gently brushed my lips against his. "Cat's got your tongue?" I went to continue our kiss but he pulled away again.

"Wait," he said. "I'm trying to tell you something, Clary."

I sat back and pushed the stray hairs that were in my face. "Yes, Jace?"

His thumb traced my jaw line. "Clary, I…"

I laughed at him. "Are you gonna keep pausing dramatically or are you gonna say it?"

"I love you."

It took a minute for me to remember what those three words meant.

He loved me.

"Clary?"

He loved me.

"Say something, you're scaring me."

He loved me!

Grinning like a fool, I smashed my face to his in a disgusting slobbery kiss. "Jace, I love you too.

He smiled. "Jesus, you scared me. Don't do that to me."

"I'm sorry." I kissed him. "I love you."

"I love you."

I curled up in his lap and we fed each other our lunches. And when we were finished, we just sat there. We knew that the minute we stepped out of that room, our date would be over. We would have to take responsibility of our Nephilim duties. And if there was anything I learned since I've been here was that there was almost no time for romance. So, we tried to make the most of the little we had.

We thought that if we never left, it would last forever. But eventually the sun went down and our stomachs were growling for more food. If we didn't leave for a meal, we'd have to leave anyway to see Camille.

As much as I respect that I've been chosen to be a shadowhunter, I equally as much miss being a normal teenage girl.

"Are you sure we'll be ok?" I asked.

Jace smirked. "Is the mastermind doubting her own plan?"

I rolled my eyes. "Such a douche."

Jace twirled his stele in his hand. "We'll put the speed rune on ourselves. That way if anyone's watching, they won't see us."

I nodded. "Ok, do me."

Jace chuckled as he gently pressed the stele to my arm. "Very interesting choice of words."

"Shut up, Jace."

I drew the rune on him when he was finished drawing mine.

"Ok, we're ready," I said.

He nodded. "Alright. I'll follow you."

A bike ride that would've taken a good thirty minutes turned into a five minute run.

"You ready?" I asked.

"For what?" Jace asked. "Entering a house full of vampires. Yeah, totally."

I rang the doorbell.

When Camille answered the door, she didn't even look at me. She looked at Jace. She gave him the same look she gave him when she saved after our first date.

It was almost as if she were afraid of him. I couldn't tell. Every time I thought I could determine the emotion she was feeling, the look in her eyes changed and it confused me.

"Camille?"

Blinking she looked at me. And then her weird look turned into a glare. "Great. This is awesome, Clary."

Was she bipolar or something?

"Not only are you putting yourself in danger, but your putting Jace in it too." She sighed.

"Look, it's important," said Jace.

Camille looked at him and her glare softened.

"Please let us in."

She stepped aside. "This better be good."

"Where's Simon?" I asked as I took a seat on the couch.

"Upstairs with Maia," she said.

"Maia's here?" I hadn't seen Maia in a long time. And it made me happy that she and Simon were attempting to work things out. "Can I go see her?"

Camille shook her head. "She and Simon are sort of in a heated conversation."

"Oh."

"I'm sure they'll be ok." Camille sat in the chair across from us. "So, what did you guys come here for?"

Jace elbowed me.

I rolled my eyes and pulled out my sketchbook. But before I could say anything, Maia came running down the stairs with tears in her eyes.

"Maia?" I asked. "What's wrong?"

She shook her head and just said, "I'll tell you later." And then she disappeared.

I stood up and walked over to the stairs. Simon was standing up there was a guilty look on his face. "Simon, did you break up with her?"

"Leave me alone, Clary."

"Oh my God! We are gonna talk about this later!"

Simon slammed the door.

What the hell was wrong with him? Was he really dumping Maia for _Isabelle?_

"Clary," Jace said. "C'mon, we don't have a lot of time."

Sighing, I sat back on the couch. "Magnus told me that this ring," I tossed her the book, "belonged to the Herondales."

Swallowing, she nodded. "Yes."

"He didn't give a whole lot of information. He only said that they were really powerful. That they went all the way back to 1878."

"Yes."

I squinted at her short answers. "Is there anything you can add on to that?"

Camille sat up straight. "Magnus didn't tell you."

"Tell us what?" Jace and I said.

She ran a hand through her hair. "Maybe he just didn't know. Or maybe-"

"Camille," I interrupted. "What are you talking about?"

She looked at us. "Do the names Stephen and Celia Herondale ring any bells to you?"

I looked at Jace but he only shrugged.

"Jace, they're your birth parents."

I glanced at Jace to find him completely frozen. I don't even think he was breathing. "Where are they?"

Camille shrugged. "I don't know."

I smiled. "Well, this is good, right? I mean, we finally found out who they were. And Jace, this means we'll win!"

"Win what?" Camille asked.

"There's this prophecy in the back of the Shadowhunter's Codex. The last line says that the Herondales will prevail. Jace is a Herondale! We'll defeat Valentine."

"Maybe."

"Why didn't anyone tell me?" Jace asked. "How could Mom and Dad not tell me about this?"

"Maybe they didn't know," I said. "Your parents must've had a good explanation for giving you away. Maybe they were in danger and couldn't give out their real names."

"No, my parents would've looked. They wouldn't just take in some child of the streets without doing a background check."

I looked at Camille for support but she was giving Jace that strange look again.

Sighing, Jace stood up. "Meet me back at the house." And then he zipped away while the speed rune was still active.

I put my head in my hands. Things really weren't turning out well.

I looked up at Camille. "What's with you?"

"What about me?"

"How come you always act weird around Jace."

"I don't act weird."

I crossed my arms. "Yeah, you do. What is it?"

"You should go check on him."

"Camille!"

After a long silence, Camille said, "Did Magnus ever tell you about him and I?"

I nodded.

"Did he tell you how we broke up?"

I shook my head. "What happened?"

She bit her nails and wiped the corner of her eyes. I tried not to notice that her tears were blood.

I handed her the Kleenex box.

Taking a tissue, she said, "William Herondale happened."

William Herondale. Magnus mentioned him as well but didn't say much.

"Magnus chose him over me."

I blinked. "What?"

Camille let out a sob. "I loved Magnus! I loved him with all my heart! Maybe I had trouble showing him that but it was the truth. And then he just broke my heart."

"I'm so sorry, Camille. But what does this have to do with Jace?"

She sighed. "Jace looks just like Will. They have the exact same face. And every time I look at him I think of the way Magnus hurt me."

134 years and Camille never got over Magnus.

"Have you tried looking for someone else?" I asked. "You deserve to be happy again."

She sighed. "Of course I have. But no one can love me the way Magnus can."

I crouched down next to Camille and held her hand. "I'm really sorry."

"It's not your fault, Clary."

I stood up and pulled her with me so I could give her a hug.

"You know you're way nicer to me than you should be," Camille said.

I laughed. "I know." Pulling away, I said, "I should go see Jace. Will you be ok without me?"

"Yeah, I'll be alright. Thanks for talking with me."

I nodded and walked to the door. "Camille?"

She looked at me.

"Thanks for saving my ass all those times."

She laughed. "Your welcome. Be careful getting back."

"I will." I was about to leave but then I stopped and turned around. "I love you, Camille."

She smiled. "I love you too. Now, go home."

I redrew the speed rune and went back to the institute. One drama story was finished. Now I had to take care of the other one. This was going to be a long night.

**I realize this isn't one of the best chapters I've written. I planned on putting a whole lot more in this chapter but if I did, it would probably turn out to be, like, thrity pages. So, I tried to find the best spot to end it and this was the best I could do. I promise next chapter will be more fulfilling. Stay tuned!**

**Review plz!**

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	27. Chapter 27

**Hey guys! I'm super excited because I just bought City of Lost Souls today! EEEEEEEEEEK! Lol, hope you guys enjoy this book and this fanfic!.**

"They grounded us!"

I sat patiently on the couch as I waited for him to get all his anger out of his system.

"What the hell? We worked our asses off in training so we could go out and kick some ass!"

But the more I listened to him and watched him pace back and forth, the more I wondered if he'd ever stop. It worried me a bit.

"They can't keep us in here forever!"

"They're just trying to keep us safe," I said. I was only trying to calm him down. But it seemed that every time I said something, it sparked some new rant.

"No, they're not," Jace said bitterly. "They're hiding something. Just like they hid my birthparents from me."

Ok, it was official. This was definitely not my Jace. My Jace wasn't so hateful. He got angry sometimes, sure, but there was always a way to calm him down. This time I'm not sure. This is something I can't help him with.

"Jace," I said carefully, "maybe they just didn't know. If there's anything I've learned from being a shadowhunter it would be not to jump to conclusions."

"Oh, _I_ can't but _you_ can?"

I crossed my arms and readied myself for a harsh comment. "What do you mean?"

"You're clairvoyant! You get visions that tell you exactly what's going on! You don't even have to jump to conclusions 'cause it's all right there!"

I stood up and grabbed Jace so he would stop pacing. Then I forced him to look me in the eye as I spoke slowly. "That is _not_ how my visions work. If it did, we probably would be out of this mess already."

Jace turned his head and rolled his eyes.

"Look at me, Jace."

He did while giving me an annoyed look.

"What I do is hard, Jace. You know why it's hard? Because my visions come in riddles. They're not easy to determine. You may think they are but trust me, they aren't."

Jace moved himself out of my grip. "God, you're just like me mother." And then he stomped off.

"Where are you going?" I demanded angrily. I could take him being mad at me and I could even take him yelling at me sometimes. But I'd be _damned_ if I was compared to that bitchy mother of his! I mean, I understand she wants to keep her children safe but no. Just no.

"Out, since no one's listening to me," he said.

I grabbed his arm and stopped him from leaving. "Jace, I am listening! But so far all I've heard was how pissed you are at Robert and Maryse. Tell me what you want."

"I want to fight! I can't stand sitting here doing nothing."

I had a flash of déjà vu. I remember clearly me saying those words. "You think I don't want that too?"

Sighing, he said, "I'm going."

I grabbed his arm again. "With no weapons? In those clothes?"

Jace looked down at his bright orange shirt and shorts. "What's wrong with my clothes?"

"You look like a giant target. Just stay here and I'll get you a darker shirt and some weapons."

"Fine."

"I'm serious, Jace. Stay put."

"Ok."

I rolled my eyes. I could tell he would run off without me if I didn't keep my eye on him. So, I took his hand and dragged him with me to my room.

"What are you doing?"

"Changing."

"You're gonna change in front of me?" he asked as I pulled out a black shirt and skinny jeans.

"You've seen me in my underwear before." It was hard to say that without blushing.

I turned my back to him and took off my shirt. But with the huge mirror in front of me, it didn't exactly keep Jace from seeing my body.

In the reflection, I saw Jace lean back on his elbows and smirk.

"Would you stop looking at me like that?" I snapped. "I'm not a porn star. And I'm still mad at you."

"Are you?"

I wasn't sure whether that question was directed at my comment about my being a porn star or being mad at him.

I turned around to glare. But the minute I locked eyes with him, I knew it would be impossible to. The way he looked at me made me feel tingly in a place that I shouldn't be.

"You feel it too," Jace said. "I can see it on your face."

I turned back around and put my shirt on. I could've gone into the bathroom and changed but to be honest, I liked the way Jace made me feel.

As I took my shorts off, I tried to wiggle my legs a bit so I could get some friction in that tingly area.

Jace groaned. "Clary, you're really bad at being subtle."

My face was burning red. I felt like if I didn't splash cold water on my face, I would explode.

In the reflection of the mirror, I saw Jace and holy fucking shit! There was a _huge_ lump in the middle of his basketball shorts!

Deciding that enough was enough, I snapped, "Go get changed!" But my order wasn't that demanding since I had no pants on.

Jace left after giving me an orgasmic, eye-rolling kiss. I had to balance myself on the dresser to keep from falling.

On my way to Jace's room, I thought of demons and all the different ways they could kill. That seemed to calm my disgustingly horny vagina down.

I sat by the doorway just as the shower came on and Jace screamed, "Shit, that's cold!"

I laughed as I put my hair up into a bun.

Almost a half hour later, Jace came out in a dark blue shirt and jeans.

I stood up. "Ok, let's go get some weapons."

"How do you know where the weapons are?"

I rolled my eyes. "Don't you break the rules every once in a while?"

"With _my_ mother?" Jace laughed. "No."

I guess that was understandable.

We walked into the weapons room. "Take your pick."

I grabbed two belts for Jace and I to hold our weapons. Then I filled mine with two daggers, a sword that I was able to sling around my shoulders and a pistol.

"You ready?" I asked.

"Yeah," he said. "Let's go."

When we got down stairs, we drew speed runes and then we were off.

We got to the Chrysler Building just before ten. We almost thought no one was in there until a loud explosion broke some of the windows and possibly our eardrums.

"You think anyone got hurt?" I asked after uncovering my ears.

"Only one way to find out," said Jace.

We raced over to the door. But I didn't have to touch it to know that there was a fire behind it. I could feel the heat from where I was standing.

Jace kicked the door down to confirm my deduction. Fire blazed in front of us and consumed the door. There was no way we could get around that.

"Great," I said. "Now what?"

"Have you forgotten all our training?"

I gave him a confused look.

"We climb."

I let Jace drag me to the side of the building. And then I knew Jace was onto something. It was just like climbing the wall at home.

Jace started the climb and I followed closely behind.

We climbed until we reached a floor that wasn't completely on fire.

"Here," Jace said." He tried breaking the window but I guess the windows were too thick. But he kept banging.

"Stop," I said, "before you break your hand." I took out my pistol and hit it repeatedly until the glass broke. "There."

"You go first."

I pulled myself up. I was about to help Jace when something grabbed me

I let out a girly shriek and tried to get one of my weapons but the thing had both of my arms before I could get a hold of anything.

When Jace finally climbed in and saw me pitifully flailing, tackled the thing. Of course it took me down with him.

I got up before he could grab me again.

I turned around and saw that the thing was just a person. His skin was a deathly blue-ish gray and his pupils were gone. I would've guessed the guy was possessed. But then I saw the ugly purple rune on his neck.

Forsaken.

Jace pushed the forsaken down. I thought he would get back up but the floor caved in and he fell into the fire below.

Jace turned to me. "You ok?"

I nodded but I really wasn't. if I was going to act like that every time I got attacked, I would get killed. Or worse. Get Jace killed.

We only had time to take a few steps forward when the ceiling fell and took the floor with it.

"Jesus!" I screamed as we jumped back.

This battle wasn't going very well.

There was a huge gap in the floor. The only thing there was a beam. We'd have to hop on top of it in order to get to the other side.

"We'll have to jump on top of that," I said.

Jace nodded. "Alright, on three. One, two, three."

We jumped and landed easily on the beam. Thank the Lord Alec and Isabelle taught us how to keep our balance.

When Jace jumped to the other side, it made the beam wobble and I had to regain my balance.

"Whoa," Jace said. "Be careful."

I was about to jump again when another forsaken jumped down from the floor above.

"How many of you guys are there?" I asked.

The forsaken came at me but I jumped back and grabbed my dagger.

I dodged his blows and at the same time, tried to at least knick him with my dagger. But we weren't getting anywhere. We were just moving back and forth.

Jace came to the rescue when he shot the damned thing with his taser gun.

The forsaken fell backwards. Unfortunately for me, he landed on the beam which snapped in half and had me falling into the fiery pit.

With a loud scream, I managed to get a grip on the floor. But with my weight, it began to crack.

Jace pulled me up before I fell again.

I sighed in relief when Jace put his arms around me. I was scared out of my mind. Twice in the coarse of thirty seconds, I almost died.

I just so happened to look down at Jace's belt and saw nothing. The taser he used wasn't any good anymore. I guess it only had one charge.

"Jace, where's the rest of your weapons?"

"I didn't bring anything else."

My eyes widened. "_What?_"

"I didn't think I'd need anything. And I thought that thing had more than one charge."

"Omigod! Jace what the hell?"

"I'm sorry!"

I gave him my sword. "Here."

I was just beginning to regain my composure when I heard a faint scream that sounded like Isabelle which made me freeze.

"It's ok," Jace said in response to my tensing. "I'll be fine."

"No, Jace. That's not it."

"What?"

"I thought I heard Isabelle."

"Where?"

"Follow me."

We ran down random hallways, avoiding falling ceilings, caving floors and the occasional fires.

And then I heard her scream again.

Jace and I stopped in front of another hallway and there was Alec and Isabelle fighting off a demon.

The demon was on top of Isabelle and was about to kill her. Alec was lying on the floor too far away to do any good.

I didn't give myself enough time to figure out what it was and how to kill it. I just grabbed my dagger and threw it.

Neither Alec or Isabelle showed me how to use the dagger. How to throw it, how to wield it or even how to hold it. But somehow, the dagger flung across the room and hit the demon right between the eyes.

It staggered back and instead of falling over dead, it burst into a giant puddle of black blood. Simon wasn't kidding when he said the death of demons were gruesome.

Jace and I ran over to the two of them.

"What the hell are you two doing here?" Isabelle yelled.

I crossed my arms. "I just saved your ass and that's the first thing you say?"

"You're gonna get yourselves killed!" she said ignoring my question.

Alec stood up slowly. "Izzy, stop. They just saved us."

Isabelle glared at her brother. "We didn't _need_ any saving. We were fine!"

I rolled my eyes at that.

"Get out of here, now!"

"Iz," Alec said, "they've already come this far. Might as well let them stay."

"Guys," Jace interrupted before Isabelle could yell some more. "We don't have time to fight. The building is on fire and could collapse at any moment. _All of us_ need to get out of here. Where's Mom and Dad?"

"I guess we have to go find them."

Isabelle grabbed the pistol from my belt. "Do you even know how to use this thing?"

"I'm a fast learning."

Expertly, she opened up the thingy that held all the bullets and laughed. "You're gonna do a whole lot of damage with this." And then she threw it back at me.

I tried to reopen the thing but I had no idea how she did it. So I fumbled around with it until it finally popped open. And surprise, surprise, there were no bullets.

"What is it?" Jace asked.

There was a possibility that Jace was actually curious and not teasing me. But after being treated like a child by Isabelle, I was a bit touchy. "Shut up!"

Jace and I followed Alec and Isabelle down the hallway.

Isabelle looked down the hallway and three fingers.

Alec whispered to us, "There are three enemies down the hallway. Try to stay behind us."

Jace nodded but I just rolled my eyes. I already killed a demon. I was ready. At least I felt like I was. I never thought killing something could be so exhilarating.

The three demons were fast. They zipped around us like they had just consumed twenty Monster drinks. Pun intended.

Isabelle swung her gold whip around and Alec used hand to hand combat. There wasn't much I could do with my daggers to help them so I told Jace to use his sword.

I tried to help Alec fend off the one demon by cutting it with my dagger. I was able to hold it off but the demon just regenerated when I cut off. I was only able to delay him.

Jace lifted it and maybe it had something to do with Raziel's blood but he used the sword like he'd been using it his entire life. The same way I was able to throw the dagger.

Although Jace was slashing swiftly at the demons, it didn't seem to be doing any damage.

"Call its name!" Isabelle said when she saw him struggling.

"What?"

"Its name, Jace! Call its name!"

I stopped and looked at Jace's sword. I remembered seeing the name Michael when I picked the sword up. And I could faintly see it carved into the sword.

The demon tried to catch me while I was distracted but jumped back before he could just as Alec gave it a hard kick in the face.

"Michael!" I said. "The sword's name is Michael!"

"_Michael!_" Jace repeated.

The sword lit up a bright blue. And when he swung the sword again, it killed the demon instantly.

Jace jumped back and tried to keep himself from getting soaked in demon blood as it exploded.

Quickly, he killed the one Alec was fighting just as Isabelle killed hers.

"Good job," Alec said to his brother. "Very good job."

"Thanks."

"You two, Clary."

I smiled at him.

"Don't encourage them, Alec."

Jace and I walked past them as they bickered.

I looked around the corner to see if there were anymore demons. They were yelling at each other way too loudly. They could've easily been heard by anyone.

But when I looked around, I wasn't prepared for what I saw.

There was a boy lying dead on the floor.

I stumbled backwards. Jace must've seen my expression and covered my mouth and I screamed pathetically.

I'd seen that boy before. The dark hair and jaw structure matched the boy I drew in my sketchbook. It was the day I went out with Jace. And we saw Luke after that I had to run home before Jocelyn could find out I snuck out.

Ah, I miss those days.

But the point was, I thought it was Jonathan.

"What?" Isabelle said. "What is it?"

I pointed to the dead body, still moaning into Jace's hand.

"Shit," Alec mumbled. "Poor Sebastian."

"Sebastian?" Jace asked.

"The guy Jonathan's impersonating," Isabelle said. "He's dead. After I saw him, I guess Valentine forced him to change his identity. So they killed Sebastian."

"Who's Sebastian?" I asked shakily after removing Jace's hand.

"We'll explain later. Now, we have to find our parents so we can get out of here before the cops come."

"They're probably already here."

"I didn't here any sirens," Alec said.

"Over this racket?" I said. "I wouldn't either."

"That's true."

"Kids!"

We turned to see Maryse and Robert run to us.

"C'mon," Robert said. "We have to leave."

"Did you find Jonathan?" Isabelle asked.

"We almost had them," Maryse said. "But they got away and the cops were just outside. We didn't want them to see us."

"How are we gonna get out if the cops are here?" I asked.

"We'll have to jump," Alec said. "Remember the duck'n'dive?"

"Dive'n'duck," Isabelle corrected.

I swore. We were surely going to die.

Alec broke the window that was far enough that no one would see us but not too close to the quickly spreading fire. He jumped first.

I bit my lip and squeezed my eyes shut. When I didn't hear a huge _thunk_ I opened my eyes and saw him ushering us to follow him.

Jace went next. Then Isabelle. Then me.

When I jumped, I had to bite my tongue to keep silent. And then my shadowhunter "instincts" as Isabelle and Alec liked to call them kicked in. Time slowed down and I was able to duck just before my head hit the ground. And then I rolled onto my back.

I got up and stood with the rest of them as Robert and Maryse jumped.

"Alright guys," Robert said as he joined us. "Let's go home."

When we got back home everyone except Jace and I resigned to their bedrooms to shower and sleep. But Jace and I snuck up into his room.

"Holy shit!" I yelled. "That was so fucking awesome!"

"I know!" Jace said. "Is it bad that I find killing demons fun?"

"I don't know but if it is then we are some bad mother fuckers. But did you see the way I killed that thing?"

"I did! That was so cool! You didn't even hesitate!"

I jumped up and down like a little girl. "And then you took out your sword and kicked ass!"

We bounced around the room until we were dizzy and collapsed on the bed.

A half hour later, we were still lying on the bed together. We didn't say anything we just sat there and day dreamed about the awesome/dangerous day we had.

"Hey, Clary," Jace said.

I looked at Jace.

"Remember what you were doing in your room?"

I rolled my eyes. "I was serious when I said I'm not a porn star."

"I know. But it was hot."

I shook my head and was about to reach for the remote and forget that that had ever happened. When I came up Jace's boner was back. Jesus, that boy got excited real easily.

But I couldn't exactly say anything because it was obvious that I was too. The minute he mentioned it, my breath hitched. And as I looked at him, that special part of my body began to tingle again.

I climbed onto his lap and straddled him.

Jace closed his eyes and tried to readjust himself.

"Remember what we were doing downstairs in the basement?" I asked.

Jace smirked. "Mmhm."

I leaned down and kissed him, my heart beating faster and faster every second.

He groaned a little and played with my hair.

I grinded my hips against his making us both gasp.

"Clary, are you serious?"

I nodded. "Yes."

"Right now?"

I smiled and looked up at him under my lashes. "Only if you want to."

"Once we start I'm not gonna stop."

I grinded my hips against him again and whispered, "I don't want you to."

Jace flipped us over. "Oh, you asked for it."

**Hehehe...I love this part. Lol yeah, I know I'm a pervert, I don't need you guys to tell me that. This fanfic is rated M for a reason. I hoped you guys liked it! Now, I'm off reading CoLS!**

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	28. Chapter 28

**Ok, guys. Before I start the chapter I'd like to apologize for the late update. I was in Florida last weekend and I just got back Thursday. Disneyworld was amazing! But anyway, another thing i'd like to say is THIS FANFIC IS RATED M FOR A REASON!**

**Just wanted to point that out cuz the minute this chapter starts you're getting into some dirty stuff ^.^ Enjoy!**

Although Jace was just as eager as I was, he was gentle. At first. But that didn't keep me from being nervous about the actual sex part. What if Jace went crazy and just started pounding away? I hope to God, I would too so I wouldn't feel the pain at first.

Jace's lips brushed my own which eased my nerves for the moment. I let my mind quiet as our lips moved against each other's hungrily.

I blindly searched for the hem of his shirt. And when I found it, Jace helped me take it off him.

I opened my eyes and allowed myself to look. I had a flash back from when I walked in on him just wearing a towel. He looked even better now with little drops of sweat glistening off his muscles.

I almost came just looking at him. My heart started beating like crazy and suddenly every part of my body became sensitive.

When Jace brushed his fingers against my arm, even if it was by accident, it felt good. It amazed me how every tender touch could have a huge reaction.

I raised my finger and ran it up and down his abdomen to give him the same feeling I had.

Jace only smiled. I'm not sure if he felt it but knowing that he was happy made me feel…well, horny, for lack of a better word.

I pulled him back down to me so I could kiss him again. But I was so breathless at the time all I could really do was breathe heavily on him. I hope my breath didn't smell.

When I started to get a little hot, I rolled over to get some cooler air.

But when I rolled over, there was more weight on my crotch which sent me reeling. Just moving my hips back and forth made my eyes roll and my breathing hitch.

I could feel Jace's reaction underneath me as he moaned and grabbed my hips.

I took my shirt off, not only because I was sweating but because I wanted Jace to touch me.

I grabbed his hand and placed it on my breast making me sigh loudly. "Oh, God, Jace."

Jace rolled us back over. "You," he ripped my jeans open, "are driving me," he pulled them down, "crazy!"

I clenched my eyes shut and tried to keep myself from screaming. I had officially lost it. "_God!_ Just take it off! Take it all off!"

Jace reached behind me and undid my bra and then ripped my underwear off.

I didn't give him the chance to look before I attacked him. I wrapped my leg around his waist and pulled him as close to me as possible as I kissed him.

It didn't occur to me that I was completely naked in front of Jace until after he rid himself of his clothes too.

And instead of having that awkward moment of "what to do next," Jace grabbed my ankles and pulled me closer to him which made me giggle.

He took out my bun and let my hair fall over my shoulders. Then he put my legs back around his waist.

I barely felt it when Jace officially took my virginity. I was so hooked on how good it felt to finally get something in the place I really wanted it.

Maybe I was too light or I was too hyper to feel how crazy Jace was going. Every time he thrust into me, I rose from the bed a little.

"Oh, my God, Clary."

At the sound of my name coming out of his mouth, something in my stomach clenched. It wasn't a bad feeling. But when that happened I got _really _loud. Jace had to hush me a bunch of times.

"Jace," I whimpered, "go faster. Dear God, go faster!"

I saw his eyes roll back as he responded to my demand. His breath suddenly came in short hard gasps which scared me at first.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh God!" Keeping his eyes clenched shut, he went harder and faster making the knot in my stomach tighter. "I'm gonna cum!"

I gripped the pillow under me and pumped my own hips so he could go deeper.

The knot got so tight in almost hurt.

Jace groaned as he came to his release. And this might sound a little weird. But when your having sex, you get a little delirious. And the sounds he made were the only things I could concentrate on. And that one particular sound was so self satisfying, it blew me over the edge. I felt like I had done something right. Like I'd achieved one of my goals in life.

I arched my back and came after him. Jace was smart to cover my mouth because I let out a banshee-like yell/moan.

Jace and I separated with a groan and he fell next to me.

We sat there trying to catch my breath. But the goddamn bed was making me sweat to death! I had to get up and stand by the doorway.

"What are you doing?" Jace asked when he saw me putting my face to the door.

"I'm hot!" I yelled. "I can barely fucking breathe!"

He laughed. "Your face is as red as your hair."

I laughed too. I knew it was. And that might've been embarrassing if I wasn't standing completely naked in front of him.

After I had gotten myself cooled down a little, I went to grab my clothes.

"No!" Jace got up and snatched my shirt out of his hands. "Stay here tonight."

"What if we get caught?" I asked.

"We won't," Jace said. "Alec and Isabelle usually wake me up for training. So _if_ they wake me up, I'll just tell them that we need our rest. They're tired too so they might not even wake up anyway."

I wasn't taking any chances. I grabbed the rest of my clothes and went into the bathroom to try to fix myself up. If I ran into anyone in the hall, I didn't want them to see me looking like a sweaty mess with a bird's nest for hair.

Jace followed me. Wrapping his arms around my waist, he stopped my movements. I looked at him through the mirror.

His eyes were a soft golden brown. The smirk he was wearing made them bright. And his messy hair made me want to run my hands through it.

"You look really sexy by the way."

I rolled my eyes.

Jace pulled my hair to one side and kissed my cheek. Then he turned my head and kissed my mouth.

Sighing, I leaned back and let him support me. "Alright," I said. "You sold me on it. I'll stay."

"You will?"

I nodded. "But I'm not putting my clothes on. I'm sweating like a son of a bitch."

He chuckled and followed me back to the bed. "Fine by me." He tried to curl up next to me but I pushed him away saying he had too much body heat. He didn't really like that but you just don't understand. When you have sex, make sure to keep a fan running or turn up the AC. It gets fucking hot.

"What the hell is going on here?"

Tiredly, I peeked one eye open and saw Maryse and Jocelyn standing in the doorway. I would've gone bat-shit crazy if I wasn't half asleep. Jace was still snoring next to me.

"I told you we'd get caught," I mumbled.

"Get up!" my mother bellowed. "Now!"

I seemed to wake up then. "Shit!" I hugged the blanket to my chest and shook Jace awake. "Jace! Get up! Hurry!"

Jace shot out of the bed and face the opposite direction of where our parents were looking. His bare naked ass was staring them in the face. "Where's the demon?"

I threw his boxers at him. "Put your pants on for Christ's sake!"

Slowly, Jace turned around and saw our moms standing in the doorway. Then, his head went down and I heard him say the word, "Fuck."

"Get dressed, Jace Lightwood."

Jace glared at his mother but she had already marched off.

Jocelyn pointed at me. "The study. Be there." Then she slammed the door behind her.

I reached for my clothes and lay them out on the bed.

"My name isn't Lightwood," Jace said through clenched teeth.

I knew my mother was extremely angry with me. And if I kept her waiting too long, I'd be in a shitload of trouble. Normally, I wouldn't let anyone or anything get in my way of keeping me out of her wrath. But for Jace, I could make an exception. There was no way I was going to leave him like that. He was still mad at his parents. I was only able to distract him from that anger. We never actually talked about it.

I took Jace's hands and made him look at me. "Jace, listen. I know you're mad. And you have every right to be. But we're already in a deep hole. Don't dig us in even deeper."

Jace scoffed. "I don't care if they don't like what we did!" he yelled. "I love you and you love me! We're free to express that."

I couldn't help but smile.

"But I'll tell you what. Keeping my birth parents a secret _is_ in fact wrong. They can't punish us, Clary."

"You do know that if I so much as interrupt my mother while she's speaking, she'll kill me."

"She won't."

I put my bra and shirt on. "If I die today, I want you to find your parents. Until then, stay with Magnus. He'll take care of you."

Jace rolled his eyes. "You're not gonna die. And if you die, I'll be torn apart. I'd yell it from the rooftop, _down_." He sang the last word.

"Don't quote Seether to me!" I snapped. "Although that is a good song, I'm being serious."

Jace chuckled and kissed me chastely. It was then that I realized he was still completely naked. "Go see your mom. And stand your ground."

I put my pants on and threw his jeans on the bed. "You too. But remember who the parent is and who the child is."

"I'm not a child."

"You know what I mean. And jus tin case if I really do die, I want you to have my iPod. It's my most precious item."

"Just go, Clary."

I left the room then as Jace got dressed.

On my way to the study, Isabelle ran into me. Literally. She bumped my shoulder roughly as she passed me. I guess she was back to hating me. But I didn't care. I knew how to handle her.

I saw Jocelyn pacing before I even got to the study. And when I walked in and sat down, she continued to pace while pinching the bridge of her nose. I almost thought she didn't know I was there. But a moment later, she turned around.

I leaned back in my chair and crossed my arms. I seemed like whenever I got in trouble with my mother, I took the same position.

"Clarissa, what the hell were you thinking?"

"You sure you want me to tell you?" I asked with a smirk. "My thoughts were pretty dirty." Ok, yeah, I don't need you to tell me that I was being unfair. I know I told Jace not to say anything bad and then I go and say something like that. But Jocelyn pulls out the sarcastic side of me. It drives me nuts!

Jocelyn glared. I was surprise that she hadn't blown up and started screaming. She was calm compared to all the other times. Man, either I was a magnet for trouble or I was just a bad kid.

"How many times have I told you-"

"Yeah, yeah," I interrupted. "Fairytales don't exist, I know."

"It doesn't seem like it. You can't go do these things just because you think you like someone."

I sat up straight. "I'm not! Jace and I love each other."

Her eyes widened. "Do you hear yourself? You're only seventeen years old!"

"I'll be eighteen in a few months! And how can you give me this lecture when _you_ got pregnant at sixteen?"

"I don't want you to make the same mistake I did."

I don't know why I even opened my mouth. I should've known that fighting with her would end badly.

I uncrossed my arms and glared at her. "I thought you cared about him?"

"Who?"

"Jonathan!" I yelled. "After everything you, Jace and me have been through to find him? You're gonna stand here and tell me that he was just a mistake?"

"Clary, that's not what I meant. You know I love your brother just as much as I love you."

I stood up angrily. "Do I? Last time I checked you did nothing to help me and Jace find him! We did all the work! And you gave him away the minute he was born! If you'd just kept an eye on him he wouldn't be in this mess in the first place!"

"Clarissa Fray!"

I was marching out of the room when she yelled, "We're not done here! You're grounded!"

I turned around and repeated Jace's words. "You can't punish me for expressing my feelings!"

"I can if it's illegal."

"At least we were smart enough to use protection. Unlike you who just made a _mistake_."

I went downstairs and found Jace eating breakfast. Or, he was sitting in front of breakfast but it looked like he hadn't even touched it. His cereal had gone soggy.

"Jace?"

He didn't turn around. But he said, "I'm glad you didn't die. Because if you did, I wouldn't be able to do what you wanted me to do."

I sat down next to him. "What are you talking about?"

Jace had his head bent down and his eyes closed. "My parents are dead."

I sat there and stared at him. I was so sure that finding his parents would be perfect. I thought it would make him feel better. I was so caught up, I never even thought that something awful like this could happen.

"Would you stop looking at me like that?"

I blinked and looked away. "Jace, I'm so sorry. I didn't think that-"

"I know," he said. "I appreciated it. But at least I know why Maryse and Robert kept it from me."

I carefully took Jace's hand. He let me hold it and squeezed my hand gently. He still didn't look at me but at least he wasn't ignoring me completely. "How did they die?"

"Stephen was killed by a Greater Demon. Maryse didn't say what kind. And Celia died while giving birth to me. Something about going into a hemorrhage, I don't know. I was a little lightheaded during the details."

"I'm so sorry."

Jace shook his head and finally met my gaze. "It's not your fault. But enough about me. What happened with you?"

I was about to tell him the fight she and I had when Maryse walked in.

"Clary?"

I turned.

"Where's your mother?"

I shrugged. "She was in the study. I don't know if she's still there."

"That's alright. I'll ask Church."

I gave Jace a weird look. "What was that?"

"No idea. But what were you gonna say?"

I sighed. "Jocelyn and I had a big fight, as usual. I almost thought my mother and I got to this place where we weren't going to fight anymore. And then we start going back and forth about Jonathan. How does he even fit into the picture right now?"

Jace smiled a little. "What did you say about Jonathan?"

"I brought up how she got pregnant with him at sixteen. She said it was a mistake and then I started screaming at her about how he was an amazing kid, blah, blah, blah."

"I'm sorry."

"Not your fault. C'est la vie."

"Maybe my mom will tell her to go easy on you."

"Not gonna happen. My mother is stubborn. One thing I admit to having inherited from her. But other than Maryse telling you about your parents, what did she say?"

Jace shrugged. "Nothing really. She was mad at firs. But then she said that I was an adult and I was free to make my own decisions. Then, she told me to be responsible, use protection. The usual speech parents give."

I shook my head. "Lucky you. All Jocelyn said was I was stupid for believing in fairytales, which I don't. I'm really tired of being treated like a child."

Jace placed his hand on my knee. "Everything will be ok."

I put my hand over his. "I know."

Jace kissed me. "You want breakfast?" He pushed his soggy bowl of cereal to me.

I laughed. "You need to eat too."

"I'm not really hungry."

I pushed the bowl back. "Eat."

"Fine." He picked up his spoon and shoved a huge clump of cereal in his mouth.

I grabbed an apple.

"What?" he said with a full mouth. "You tell me to eat and you grab an _apple_?"

"I'm not hungry," I teased.

I stood up and went to rinse the apple off.

While in the kitchen, I looked at the time. It was just after seven. "God, even after a long night of killing demons, we can't get a good night's sleep."

Jace laughed. "A day in the life of Nephilim."

We were about to go upstairs when we heard our mothers yelling in the study. Well, mostly it was Jocelyn going on this tirade about underage sex.

I rolled my eyes. "She acts like we're gonna boycott condoms or something."

Jace threw his head back and howled in laughter. "C'mon, let's take the elevator."

"That thing will drop us."

"No, it won't."

"Yeah, it will!"

Jace took my hand. "Trust me."

"I swear to God, Jace, if you kill us-"

"Oh, shut up." He called the elevator with the button.

I tried not to notice the loud groan as it came down.

Jace opened the gate and we walked inside. "Relax."

"I will when we get the hell off this damn thing."

He rolled his eyes as it groaned again.

When we arrived safely on the second floor, I loosened my muscles.

"See? How easy was that?"

I shoved him playfully.

We turned the corner and there was Isabelle again. She was fully dressed as if she were about to go somewhere. Not that I was monitoring her but it was barely eight o'clock in the morning.

She was sending me a death glare to me and had no intention of letting me pass.

"Izzy," Jace said with an irritated voice.

She didn't budge. I went to gently push her aside when she grabbed my shoulders and threw me like a rag doll. Then she walked away like nothing happened.

"Isabelle!"

I stood up and tried not to show how bad I hurt my knee. "Don't worry about it." I wasn't sure what she was pissed at this time but I didn't let myself dwell on it.

We walked into Jace's room and made sure the door was wide open and watched TV.

After about an hour, Alec knocked on the door. At first I thought he would be upset but he actually looked happy.

"Congrats, guys."

I blushed as Jace thanked him.

"Mom and Jocelyn want to see you downstairs in the library," Alec said.

Jace sighed. "Of course they do." He looked at me. "Ready?"

"I guess I have to be. Let's go."

**So? What'd you think? I didn't expect this chapter to be so boring but I guess it is what it is. I'll try making the next one a little more interesting. See ya next week!**

**Leave a review if your ready to see Chris Hemsworth in Snow White and the Huntsman. Have you noticed he does the same move with his axe as he does with the hammer in Thor?**

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	29. Chapter 29

**Welcome back peeps lol I'll admit this chapter isn't as active as others but I tried to put in a little cliff hanger at the end. I hope you'll enjoy it!**

I sat next to Jace in the library. My legs were crossed and my fingers were interlocked tightly with my other hand.

I bounced both of my legs awkwardly. And since I was sitting so close to Jace, my foot tapped his leg repeatedly. After a while, Jace slapped his hand on my knee to stop it from moving.

I looked up at Jace expecting him to look irritated but his features were calm.

"Relax," he whispered.

I don't know what it is about Maryse. She just make me nervous. I guess she just has that type of face. A sharp nose, piercing blue eyes and dark brown, almost black hair.

I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself down. Jace was leaning back against the sofa comfortably with his arm lying lazily on the back of the couch. His legs were spread open a little and he was taking slow even breaths as if he were about to fall asleep.

"Ok," Maryse said finally breaking the silence. "Jocelyn and I have had a long discussion about what the two of you did last night."

I winced and Jace gently took my hand and squeezed it.

For some reason that sounded a whole lot worse than just saying sex.

"We still think your actions were beyond irresponsible and uncharacteristic of you. But until now, we thought the two of you have been very mature for your age especially now as you train."

I doubt Jocelyn agreed to that but I kept my thoughts silent.

"We won't punish you," Jocelyn said almost reluctantly. "But only under one condition."

Maryse gave Jocelyn a strange look but didn't object.

Sensing that her words would make me nervous, Jace tightened his grip on my hand and traced my knuckles with his thumb.

"What is it?" I asked with a surprisingly steady voice.

"No sex."

I was shocked to see Jace's face begin to flush. But not other part of him was showing his embarrassment.

"In this house," Maryse added.

Jocelyn shot her a glare.

She cleared her throat. "No sex," she corrected.

"Is that fair?"

Jace and I nodded.

"Good. Now get the hell out of here."

With a smirk, Jace stood up and pulled me up with him. He waited until we were out of the library to speak.

"See how easy that was?"

"Easy?" I repeated. "Do you know how hard it is to keep my hands off you? No sex?"

"That's actually considerably dangerous," Jace said. "Multiple girls have dropped dead just from glancing at me. You're already at risk of sudden death."

Normally, I would've poked fun at his arrogance but this time I rolled my eyes. I was serious when I said it was hard to keep my hands to myself. Even as we held hands, I wasn't satisfied. And it didn't help that Jace had a thing for torturing people. Especially me.

I'm in love with a sadistic mother fucker.

We were on our way upstairs when we ran into Isabelle again. This time, Simon was with her. His hand was resting lazily just above her hip.

A flash of hatred went through me and I didn't bother hiding it. Isabelle knew how I felt about what she was doing with Simon but she acted as if she were completely oblivious.

I clenched my free hand and waited for her to hit me. I wanted her to do it in front of Simon. I wanted her to show him how wrong she was for him.

Simon needed someone who was willing to commit to a good relationship. Someone who wasn't going to think with her…hormones, for lack of a better a word. And certainly someone who wasn't an expert on manipulating men. She even managed to get a faerie to date her for Christ's sake.

Isabelle slid past me and Simon followed but only after glancing between the two of us with a confused look.

I shook my head silently and took Jace to my room. I couldn't stand walking so close to her for long. I just wanted to get out of her presence. She drove me crazy.

"Ok, what's going on with you and Isabelle?" Jace asked when the door was closed.

"She's just pissed because I called her out on using Simon."

Jace opened his mouth to say something and then closed it and sat down.

I sat next to him with a sigh. I knew it wasn't right to act this way in front of him. I couldn't make him choose between his family and me. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to sound like a bitch."

"It's ok," Jace said. "She does have a way of getting underneath people's skin."

With a laugh, I turned on the TV.

We had only been watching for a few minutes when Simon opened the door without knocking. But I heard him coming. Even as a vampire he hadn't mastered the element of surprise. When Camille moved, she was cat-like.

"You're lucky I'm not naked," I said.

Simon ignored my comment and sent an awkward glare towards me. I surely wasn't expecting to see that. It resembled Camille's a bit but hers was much more intimidating. Simon looked like he was slightly constipated.

"What did you say to Isabelle about me?"

Jace looked at me then. He wasn't angry but he had that older brother look on his face. He was ready to stand up for his sister at any time.

I crossed my arms. "I told her to leave you alone if she was gonna keep being selfish. She's just mad because-"

Faster than I could see, Simon had grabbed my wrist and took me inside the study and shut the doors.

"I know you're trying to protect me," Simon said, "but don't. I'm eighteen. You're not my mother."

"I distinctly remember you confessing your love for me in a park and when I rejected you, you didn't talk to me for two weeks."

Simon rolled his eyes. "I was young and naïve then."

"That was three months ago."

"Whatever. The point is that I like Isabelle and I think she likes me back."

I stifled a laugh. "Fine. I'll let you go. But only if you tell me what happened with Maia."

Simon groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. "You're kidding right?"

"Tell me."

Sighing, he said, "All she talked about was her ex-boyfriend, Jason or something like that. She said she hated him but it seems to me he's all she thinks about."

"Breakups are hard, Si," I said. "Especially for us girls. No offense but we're a tad bit more sensitive than you. And what was all that vampire/werewolf bullshit you spewed to me?"

"They've been broken up for a year and a half!" Simon said a little too loudly. "And I asked her if she needed more time but then she just said no and went on another rant about her ex."

I rolled my eyes.

"Why am I even explaining this to you? What's you're problem with Isabelle anyway? You think I don't know about her past flings her mistakes? You may think you do but I know the details behind them. She told me."

My eyes widened. "She _told_ you?"

"Yes. It's something called trust. Now can I go or are you going to forbid me from seeing her?"

Hating the fact that Simon was right and realizing how much of a mother I was becoming, I ripped the door open. "Just go."

And he did. But only after ruffling my hair and saying, "You're still my little redhead."

That didn't make me feel any better but sitting down next to Jace did.

"Are you ok?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yeah, we're good."

"Even with Isabelle?"

I shook my head. "Not yet but I'll keep trying, I guess."

Jace tossed me my phone. "Someone texted you while you were out."

I opened the message.

"Who's it from?"

"Maia," I answered. Then realizing he didn't know who that was, I said, "The wolf who brought me home after Simon was Changed."

"Oh…is she nice?"

I smiled at Jace. "If you're asking if she's safe then yes. She's a good friend."

_Need someone to talk to. Am at my house. Come over plz?_

I sighed and sent her a reply saying I'd be there as soon as I could.

"What's wrong?"

"She needs me. It's kind of important."

"Do you need me to come with you?" he asked.

I shook my head. "No, I have a feeling this is gonna be a girls night. I'll be back soon."

"If Maryse asks do you need me to cover for you?"

I shook my head. "No, I don't think we should risk anymore lies. We're already in the doghouse. Besides, Maia's house isn't that far away. With a speed rune I could get there in two minutes."

"Ok."

After taking a quick shower and grabbing a small dagger with me just in case, I crept downstairs and toward the front door. But Jocelyn and Luke were there foiling my plan.

"Hey, Clary,"

Jocelyn must have told Luke about Jace and I. But if she did, Luke didn't address it. He hugged me warmly just as he always does and congratulated me on my first battle.

"I'm guessing you're on your way to Maia's?"

"How did you know?" I asked.

"I'll let her explain. You want a ride?"

I looked over at my mother. "Can I?"

"You're an adult now aren't you? Go."

I didn't exactly like her response but I accepted it and hopped into Luke's truck and smiled as he started the engine.

It had been so long since I'd gone for a drive with Luke. It was stupid things like that I missed the most.

If I had a bad week at school, Luke would take me to his farm and we'd sit by the lake and talk until I forgot what I was so upset about.

And when I turned fifteen, he taught me how to drive his truck. And on my sweet sixteen, I got my permit. I hadn't exactly found time to actually take the driver's test with all these demons haunting me now.

"So, what should I expect when I get to Maia's?" I asked.

Luke sighed. "Well, I wasn't there for the whole thing. But it's something about her ex-boyfriend. Maia was visiting one of our pack members at a bar when a druggie started hitting on her. Her ex happened to be there and picked a fight. It didn't end pretty."

"Did anyone get hurt?"

"Well, let's just say they're lucky to be wolves. If they weren't, both fighters would need stitches."

"What about Maia?"

Luke smiled. "Maia was smart and hauled ass out of there the minute things got bad."

"So, she's not hurt?"

"Not physically, no."

I sighed. "Good."

Luke pulled into Maia's drive. "I'll be back at the institute with your mother. Call when you're ready to come home."

"I will. Thanks, Luke." I got out of the truck and went to ring the doorbell as he drove off.

When no one answered, I rang again and tried the doorknob. It was unlocked.

I slipped inside and closed the door quietly. "Maia?"

My right hand hovered over the dagger I had shoved underneath my belt as I looked around the house.

No one was here and it didn't look like anyone _was_ here.

"Maia?" I called again.

A muffled voice from upstairs said, "Up here."

I scurried up the steps and into the room that had the door open. I relaxed when is realized it was the huge clump of peanut butter in Maia's mouth that made her sound weird.

My hand dropped from my belt and I sat down behind Maia who was crying over a jar of Skippy.

I pulled her hair out of her face and looked around for the headband she usually wore and found it broken on the floor.

I ran my fingers through it as I admired the tight curls in her hair.

"Maia, what happened?"

She sobbed a little and cleared her mouth of peanut butter before speaking. "My ex! He got hurt because of me!"

"What?" I moved to sit in front of her and she offered me her spoon. I took a small scoop of peanut butter and then gave it back to her. "Start from the beginning."

"I was going to see my friend Phillip. He's part of Luke's pack. He was on watch last night and he thought he saw something. He couldn't get a hold of Luke so he called me. But anyway, I was at the bar 'cause that's where Phil works and…" she paused to cry.

I took her hand and encouraged her to continue.

"…some _retard_ came and started hitting on me! I told me to leave me alone but he wouldn't! He grabbed at my shirt and tried to undo my pants."

"Jesus Christ, Maia!" I moved the jar of peanut butter hugged her sideways, trying to calm her down so she could keep going.

"And then Jordan-he just came out of nowhere and shoved the guy off of me. Phil tried to break the two of them up so he could throw them out. But then he shifted!"

"Who?"

Maia had her head in her hands.

"It's ok, you're ok, tell me what happened after that. Who shifted?"

"Jordan shifted. And then the other dude did too. But he was way bigger than Jordan. He sunk his teeth into one of Jordan's legs. Phil was able to throw the druggie out as he shifted back."

"What about Jason- I mean Jordan." I silently cursed Simon for getting the names mixed up.

"His arm had a huge chunk missing! He looked at me and I knew I should've called for a doctor or taken him somewhere but I ran!"

Maia reached for the Skippy jar again but I snatched it away.

"I don't want you getting sick," I said as I put the cap back on.

"Who gives a rat's ass! I want my comfort food!"

I would've laughed if she wasn't already so upset.

I sat back down next to her and was about to ask if she wanted to watch TV when I noticed how ill she looked. There was a shiny coat of sweat on her skin, her hair was a little messy and she was shaking. I wasn't sure if she was going to turn into a werewolf or if she was going to hurl.

"Are you feeling ok?"

She shook her head and put her head in between her knees. "I feel lightheaded and nauseous."

"Why don't you take a cold shower or something?"

"You think that'll help?"

I nodded. "Yeah, just relax. You're probably just stressed."

She wiped at her eyes. "Ok. Listen for a fall if I pass out."

I laughed. "Who's your favorite band?"

She gave me a confused look but then smiled when she saw I had my iPod in my hands.

"Theory of a Deadman."

I logged onto Pandora and had Maia take it in with her as she cooled down.

I sat down and wished I had brought my sketchpad. Maia's hair was so curly and her eyes were a unique golden brown. It made my fingers itch for a colored pencil or a paintbrush.

As I waited, I played around with my stele and ended up drawing a hearing rune on my arm. I was able to hear Seether playing on Pandora and Maia was singing along. I took this as a good sign.

I smiled when I realized it was the song Jace was singing before our parents freaked out at us for having sex.

I couldn't help but sing along with Maia who was off key. But then again, so was I so I had no room to talk.

"_I feel so alive tonight._

_You've got me feeling sublime._

_I wanna yell it from the rooftops down._

_Until it's over and we're older."_

When I heard a tapping on the window, I stopped singing and was glad that I drew a hearing rune.

There was a whispering voice coming from outside. It was hard to block out the music but I could hear someone calling for Maia.

I got up from the bed and looked out the window.

"Maia! Are you there?"

I couldn't see who it was but when Mystery Man saw me he flipped his shit.

"Who the hell are you? If you hurt Maia, I swear I'll kill you!"

With a roll of my eyes, I opened the window. "Would you relax? And keep it down! You'll wake up the whole neighborhood!"

"What are you?"

Sighing, I closed the window again.

"Hey!" He threw a pebble at the window. "Get back here! Tell me what you are."

I took the Skippy jar and knocked on the bathroom door. "Maia, I'm gonna call my parents," I lied. "Just to let them know where I am. I'll be just outside."

"Ok," she said. "I won't be out for a while I've got this huge knot in my-_ow!_-hair."

I laughed. "Ok, take your time."

I put the jar back in the cabinet and cranked up the AC. No wonder Maia was sweating. It was nearly eighty degrees in the house.

I opened the door after turning on the porch light and saw a boy standing there. He looked to be about twenty.

I didn't need to see the gold ring around his eyes and the huge muscles on him to know he was a werewolf. I could smell him. I was learning that every supernatural creature had a certain smell.

Demons had the strongest odor. It was like I was standing in front of the sewer. Witches and warlocks smelled like a hospital or maybe a science classroom. Vampires were harder to smell. With Camille, I couldn't smell anything at all but Simon reminded me of a morgue. Although, I've never been in one that's what I picture when I get a good whiff of him. And werewolves smell like dogs.

Thankfully, my sense of smell wasn't that great otherwise Jocelyn and I would've kicked Luke out of the apartment long ago.

"What are you?" the wolf growled.

"Who's asking?"

"Don't play with me, Blondie."

"If you're going to address me by my hair color at least get it right. I'm a _strawberry_ blonde. What do you want with Maia, brunette."

"What do _you_ want with Maia?"

The wolf stepped farther into the light and was about spit something back to me when I saw gauze wrapping around his shoulder and down to his bicep.

"Are you Jordan?" I asked.

He looked surprised at first. But then he snarled and his eyes began to glow and a low rumble sounded from his chest. I would've been suspicious and ready to fight if some stranger called my name too.

"I'm Clary," I finally said. "I'm one of Maia's friends. She told me what happened at the bar. Are you ok?"

"I'm fine, we heal fast. Can I see her?"

I shook my head. "No, she's in the shower. And I'm not sure if seeing you will make her feel any better."

"I really need to speak with her, Clary."

I shoved my hands in my pockets awkwardly. "I don't-"

"Jordan?"

I turned around and saw Maia in a white tank top and boy shorts.

"Maia, I need-"

She interrupted him but jumping into his arms. That didn't strike me as hatred. But Simon was onto something.

"Are you ok?" she mumbled into the crook of his shoulder.

"I'm alright."

"You swear?"

Jordan nodded.

Maia unwrapped her arms around him and shoved him harshly. "Then get off my property! I never wanna see you again!"

I probably should've followed Maia inside but I was taken aback by Maia's sudden change of emotions.

Maia motioned for me to get inside but Jordan was back on Maia's porch.

"Just listen for a second," Jordan pleaded.

"Why?"

"Because I think I can help your pack figure out where Valentine and Jonathan are."

That caught not only Maia's attention but my own as well.

"I know things are a little weird between us," Jordan said, "and I would love to just explain things out here but I'm sweating like a mofo. Please let me in."

Maia opened the door wider and let Jordan and I in.

"How did you know about my-" I corrected myself. I didn't know who Jordan was or if I could trust him. "-about Jonathan and Valentine."

"I just graduated from Praetor Lupus. It's a pack but also kind of a school. We've been tracking the situation for a while now. But anyway, a few weeks ago, I was on watch and I saw Sebastian Verlac, who I later realized was Valentine's son, go through this portal. But he dropped this."

He laid a silver ring on the table.

Maia picked it up. For some reason, I was surprised the silver didn't burn her or Jordan. I guess I've been watching too much True Blood.

Looking over her shoulder, I saw a design on the ring that I recognized. I drew that before.

It was the Herondale Crest.

"You've got a traitor on your hands," said Jordan.

**Alrighty! That's it! I promise the next chapter is much more interesting than this one.**

**Review plz!**

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	30. Chapter 30

**Hey everyone! Sorry I didn't update last weekend. I was celebrating summer and it completely slipped from my mind. Well, I wrote this chapter a while ago so i can't really say if it's interesting or not and i'm too lazy to read it over so here ya go lol i hope you enjoy it!**

"Herondale crest?" Maia and Jordan repeated at the same time. This caused them to give each other strange looks before looking back to me.

"Who are the Herondales?" Maia seemed relieved to ask her question without an echo.

"Jace's ancestors," I answered. "but what does he have to do with Valentine and Jonathan?"

"His parents maybe," Jordan offered. "Was Valentine involved with their death?"

"His mother died giving birth to Jace. His father was killed by a Greater Demon."

Maia's eyes flared an angry amberish-yellow color. "How much do you wanna bet that was Valentine?"

"Hold on," I interrupted. "Even if Valentine _did_ kill Jace's parents why would he keep the ring for all these years? Why give it back now?"

Jordan held up the ring to eye level. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think this is a faerie ring."

"Faerie ring." I wracked my brain trying to remember what that was. I was sure the Codex mentioned something about it. "What is that again?"

"Like I said, I don't know too much about these things," Jordan said, "but I think it's a way faeries keep in touch with one another."

Maia ran a hand through her think curly locks. "I think I remember Luke talking about it. He found one and he told the pack it was a ring that allowed you to share your thoughts with the person who wore the matching ring."

"So it's some kind of faerie telepathy thing?" I asked.

"Something like that," she said. "But anyone can use it. You don't need to be a faerie."

"Ok, well that still doesn't answer why they'd give it back," I said.

"They didn't exactly _give it back_," Jordan said. "It was dropped."

"Maybe it was an accident," Maia said.

Both were silent for a moment before I started to answer my own question.

"Or…"

"What?" asked Maia. "What are you thinking?"

I swallowed. "Or it was a warning."

"From Valentine?"

I shook my head. "Jonathan."

"Why would Valentine's son do that?" Jordan asked.

I looked at Maia nervously. She glanced at Jordan and said reluctantly, "You can trust him."

I could tell Jordan's curiosity was piqued but instead of hassling me for answers, he waited patiently for me to speak up.

"Jonathan's my brother. He's trying to help us, I think."

I almost expected him to freak out like Isabelle did but he didn't. He was calm. He didn't even act like it was news to him. He just continued the discussion.

"Even if it is from Jonathan, what is he trying to warn us about?"

I was say someone was wearing the matching ring and communicating with Valentine when I heard his voice again.

_Clarissa…_

I tried not to make it obvious I was having a possible psychological fit. I never found out who that voice was.

_We know…_

"Are you ok?"

I nodded to Maia. "Yeah, why?"

"Your face is all scrunched up."

I shrugged it off as I tried to fix my face.

_We're coming._

As soon as the voice said it, Jordan and Maia looked up and then to each other. For a moment, I thought they heard him.

"What's that?" Maia asked.

Jordan glared at the door with glowing eyes and a growl rising deep within his chest.

Maia fixed her own gaze toward the door as her eye color began to shine as well.

The two of them stood up simultaneously. Jordan shut off the lights as Maia peeked out the window.

"What kind?" he whispered.

She shrugged. "I can't see it."

"Is it moving too fast?"

"No, I just don't think it's here anymore."

"It's here," Jordan said bitterly. "Just keep looking."

As the two of them quieted, I stood up from the couch. "What's going on?"

"There's a demon," Jordan said.

"How do you know?"

It was hard to see in the dark but judging from the sound he made, I think he shuddered in a wolfy sort of way. "I can smell it."

"So you can smell everything else but you can't smell Nephilim?"

His yellow eyes looked confused by my question. I was going to remind him of our strange introduction when he said, "When we smell Nephilim, we smell the runes you wear. You barely have any on you. I almost thought you were human.

"Almost?"

"Your hair makes you look scary."

"Guys, are you done?" Maia snapped.

"Sorry." I felt my way to the window and sat down next to Maia and looked through the glass. But all I saw was more darkness.

"I see it," she whispered. "It's all the way back in the woods."

I couldn't see that far. Hell, I could barely see my hand. But from the slight scent of sulfur, I guessed she was right.

"What kind?" Jordan asked again.

"Definitely a Lesser.," Maia said as she squinted. "It's fast. Looks kinda human. It's stumbling so not much of a fighter."

"So it's ether a Croucher or a Drevak," I said surprising myself.

"Open the window," Jordan said as she sat behind Maia and I.

Maia opened the window, not bothering to ask.

Jordan closed his eyes and inhaled sharply, a small growl following. "It's a Drevak."

"Drevaks are messengers," Maia said. "So why is it over there by itself?"

When neither of them said anything, I asked, "Do you think he's after the ring?"

They looked at me with wide eyes.

"We've gotta get you outta here."

I would've laughed at the fact that they were speaking in chorus again but I sensed this was rather a serious moment.

Jordan stood up. "Can you keep up with wolf-speed?"

In the small amount of light, I drew a Speed rune along with a Silent rune.

"Stay here, Maia," he said. "I'm gonna take Clary home. Keep the lights off and stay on guard."

Maia nodded.

"Where do you live?"

"The abandoned church."

I expected him to give me a weird look but instead, he shifted and nodded for me to follow him.

I was anxious as I treaded behind him. It wasn't that I didn't trust Jordan. I knew he wouldn't let anything happen to me, even if it were only for Maia's sake. But at the moment, I was taller than him. I didn't exactly feel protected. I felt like I needed to crawl next him to be guarded.

I knew he could do a lot of damage but I still told myself if anything were to happen I had to run like hell.

Speaking of running, I was grateful for the silent rune I drew because when Jordan ran, he was insanely fast. Even with my heightened speed, I struggled to keep up. I knew I was panting and slamming my feet hard on the ground. Without my Silent rune we probably would've been killed.

There were a lot of demons out tonight. I suppose there's alyways demons around but I've never seen them so…inactive. It was like they were waiting for something.

Maybe they were waiting for me.

Gripping the Herondale ring tighter in my hand, I moved closer to Jordan. I took comfort in having a short and stocky guard as opposed to no guard at all.

When we got to the Institute, I thanked Jordan and told him to hurry back to Maia.

He huffed in reply and waited for me to get inside before leaving.

After taking another look at the ring, I took out my phone. My fingers were hovering over the numbers, about to call Magnus when Robert called my name.

"You missed dinner, Clary."

I turned around and found everyone staring. I was surprised to see Simon there with them.

Isabelle was going about her business, of course. She had no reason to waste her time on me.

"I know, sorry about that." I squeezed the ring nervously. "I was at a friend's house. She said she needed me."

Maryse looked at me like she wanted to tell me off but her and I both knew it wasn't her place. Instead, she asked subtly, "Did your parents give you permission?"

"Yes, actually," I said. "Luke dropped me off."

I looked at the ring again, wondering how I should bring it up and to who? The parents or my friends?

"Oh," said Robert. "Did you have fun?"

It was such a weird question to ask, especially for a shadowhunter. "Sure."

Isabelle pushed past me to head toward the stairs and I thought of what she would do. She would take the lead as if she were the parent.

"I'm calling a meeting," I blurted out, adding an awkward, "Please."

Isabelle threw her head back and guffawed but I tried to ignore it.

"Ok," Maryse said with a small smile. "About what?"

"Something I…" I glanced at Isabelle who was still laughing. It was very distracting. "Something I found-well not me exactly but…something-something important." I fumbled with my words, trying not to let Isabelle divert my attention.

"Isabelle!" Maryse snapped. "Quit howling, stop the attitude and meet us in the study."

Despite her mothers scoldings, she crawled up the stairs continuing to giggle.

With a grown, Maryse followed Isabelle up the steps.

"I apologize on Isabelle's behalf," Robert said as he followed his wife.

I smiled when Simon came up to me.

"Hey," Simon greeted.

"Hey," I replied. "What are you still doing here?"

"Well, I was gonna go back home but Camille called and told me to stay. How can I object to that?"

I forced a smile, not wanting to admit he was right about Maia. "Right. Do you know why she said that?"

He shrugged. "I dunno. I guess she needed to go out or something."

"I guess."

Simon slipped by me. "I'll meet you up there." And then he went up the stairs to see Isabelle.

"That was pretty cool," Jace said as he took my hand. "The way you called the meeting, I mean."

I rolled my eyes. "I just wanted to do something to grab Isabelle's attention. I just hate the way she looks at me sometimes."

"You shouldn't let her do that to you."

I sighed. "I know." I pulled out my phone and dialed Magnus's number.

"Who're you calling?"

"Magnus," I said.

Magnus answered on the first ring. "Hey, Cherry. How are ya?"

I laughed. "You have a new name for me every day, don't you?"

"Of course I do! They just come to me."

I was going to ask him if he was busy when I heard a voice in the background.

"_Is that Clary? Let me talk to her."_

"Is that Camille?" I asked. "What is she doing over there?"

"Well, we're sort of out," he said.

I lifted a brow.

"Did you need us- me for something?"

Smiling I said, "Yeah, I was wondering if you were busy but I think you are so-"

"No, no, I'm not busy. What's up?"

"_Magnus, hand over the phone!"_

"I sorta called a meeting last minute. It'd be awesome if you could make it."

"Ok, just give me a couple minutes to finish up here with Camille."

"Sure," I said. "What were you two doing anyway?"

"I'll explain when I get there. I won't be long, I promise."

"Ok, but what about Camille?" I asked.

"I'll give you the message when I get there. I gotta go but I'll be there soon."

"Ok," I said. "Thank you so much, Magnus."

"Of course, baby doll. I'll see you in a minute."

"Alright, bye."

I hung up and found Jace still standing there. I thought he'd go upstairs with his family.

"What'd he say?" he asked.

"He'll be here soon but I don't wanna start without him."

"No biggie. We'll wait. He won't be long. He can just portal here right?"

I nodded. "But what about your family? They're waiting for me."

He waved them off. "They can wait five minutes."

With a smile, I kissed him softly and then took him with me into the family room and we sat on the couch.

"So how's Maia?" he asked. "Is she ok?"

I nodded silently. "Yeah, just boyfriend issues."

"With Simon?"

"No, her other ex."

"Geez, she really gets around."

I hit his shoulder as he laughed but I couldn't help but laugh too. "She's ok, just a little shaken up. But we kinda ran into something there."

"You mean a demon? Are you ok?"

"It was a demon but we didn't actually fight it. We just watched it. I was gonna talk about it in the meeting."

Jace nodded. "But no one's hurt?"

"No."

"Ok good."

The church bells rang.

"Magnus is here," Jace said.

I stood from the couch and let him in.

"Hey, Clary."

I hugged him. I know it wasn't that long since I've seen him but it felt so much longer than a few days.

"Let's not keep anyone waiting, huh?"

The three of us walked up the stairs and found everyone waiting in the study.

I was surprised to see Isabelle reach for Simon's hand. They intertwined their fingers and Simon gently kissed her temple.

Jace, Magnus and I sat next to each other.

"So, are you gonna start this thing or what?" Isabelle asked.

Maryse and Robert hushed her but I decided that I would ignore her the entire meeting if she didn't have anything important to say.

I took out the faerie ring. "While I was out tonight, one of Maia's friends found a ring. A faerie ring to be exact."

"So what? A faerie lost a piece of- "

I cut Isabelle off by saying, "This ring is different because it has the Herondale crest on it. And there's no need to pretend I don't know Jace is a Herondale." I looked over to Jace. "I'll give the ring to you when I'm finished, ok?"

He smiled. "Ok."

"I don't know why it has the Herondale crest on it but the important thing is Maia's friend saw someone drop this. He said he thought it was Jonathan. So that means either him or Valentine had it."

"Stephen was killed by a demon," said Robert. "It's possible Valentine took the ring after killing him."

"We don't know Valentine killed him," Maryse said.

"Although it does take a long time to make an army of demons," added Alec.

"It doesn't matter how he got it," I said and then realizing how rude I was sounding, I tried to lighten my voice. "Valentine had it and I don't think the ring was dropped by accident. I think Jonathan was trying to warn us."

"But Jonathan was the one who chained me up and left me there for dead."

I knew Isabelle was just trying to work my nerves but when she accused my brother of attempted murder that was where I drew the line.

"Get out."

She gave me a challenging look.

"If you're not gonna try to help then get out. I'm asking you to put aside your feelings for me now and act like a mature Nephilim."

She only glared at me. It was almost as good as Camille's. Almost.

"There's someone we don't know about who's working with Valentine," I continued. "It could be anyone."

"That was always a problem," said Maryse. "We found out his son, Jonathan, was working with him but the whole world could be working with me. We don't know."

"But at least we know how he's doing it. And as long as we have this ring, they're going to have to make a rendezvous to keep in touch. So it'll be easier for us to find his accessory."

Magnus cleared his throat. "I think that's where I jump in."

We all looked at him.

"Camille and I were trying to find out where Valentine and Jonathan moved on to. And in one of the rooms in the Chrysler building, we found a special pentagram engraved in the floor."

"What kind of spell was Valentine casting?" Alec asked.

"Well, usually to cast a spell," Magnus said, "it's not that complicated. When you have to draw a pentagram for a spell, it's usually because the spell is extremely strong. I smelled a lot of Black Magic in that room."

"Do you know what spell they were casting?" I asked.

"I believe I do."

"Tell us!"

He took a deep breath which was what caused me to hold mine. When you see a supernatural creature who's not afraid of anything take a deep breath, you know something bad is gonna happen.

"I think Valentine was trying to raise a demon."

**Ok, so was it good? Did you like it? I'm sure the next chapter will be better if this one was bad lol happy summer to everyone!**

**Review plz!**

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	31. Chapter 31

**Hey guys! So this chapter is as promised a bit more interesting than the last. I hope you all enjoy it!**

Magnus didn't seem uncomfortable as everyone stared at him. No one had the courage to break the silence. But, technically, I was the one in charge of this meeting so I guess it was my responsibility to keep it going.

I cleared my throat multiple times before I asked in a horse voice, "Wh-which demon?"

"Azazel."

"The Prince of Hell?"

I was glad Isabelle said something. I needed a second to get my wits together.

"Why would Valentine raise _him_?" she asked. "Once Azazel gets what he wants he'll betray him."

"I have a feeling he knows that," Magnus said. "Demons are extremely manipulative and vindictive. But so is Valentine. Whatever he's got planned, he's sure that he'll get it done before Azazel can harm him."

"But what could Valentine need him for? And how could he be much of help? Azazel is trapped in Hell."

"That I do not know."

"What about Jonathan?" I asked in a stranger voice than before. "He wouldn't put him in danger, would he?"

Isabelle rolled her eyes. "This is your father we're talking about. Everyone's in danger."

After glaring at her, I said, "Then what would be the point of keeping him all this time? If he truly didn't care he would've left him with me and Jocelyn. And I'm sure he still wants me to join him."

Alec shrugged. "She's got a good point."

"Well," said Magnus. "Here's one good piece of information: Valentine raised Azazel in the Chrysler Building which means if he wants to communicate with him, he'll have to go back to that same building. So, that's one place we can find him."

"Unless that's what the ring was for," I said.

"It's too big of a chance," said Maryse. "We'll have to keep that building guarded. Maybe Luke would offer some people from his pack to help."

"We can call after the meeting's finished," Robert replied.

Not wanting to keep anyone longer than necessary, I looked at Magnus. "Are we done here?"

He smiled. "You're in charge. You should know."

With a roll of my eyes, I said, "Ok, we're done."

Maryse and Robert stood up, the two of them hovering over a cell phone. Alec went to talk to Magnus and Simon and Isabelle went downstairs hand in hand. This was when I realized that Simon was right. They had true feelings for each other.

I wondered if that's how Jace and I looked.

And just as I thought of his name, he took my hand and kissed my cheek. "Are you ok?"

I sighed. "I guess so. I'm just so tired. Every time I turn around there's another thing to stress about."

"I know." He squeezed my hand. "Let's get some foood in you."

"Oh!" I put the ring into his pocket. "You can have this now. Just don't put it on until we find the other one."

"But wouldn't that help?" he asked. "We could listen in on Valentine's plans."

I shook my head. "Please, don't. I don't want to take any chances with Greater Demons. Promise me you won't."

Jace hesitated which made me snatch the ring from him.

"Promise," I demanded.

He rolled his eyes. "Fine, I promise."

I placed the ring back into his hand. "I'm watching you."

On my way downstairs, I spotted Isabelle and Simon curled up on the couch in the family room.

Isabelle was talking about something while Simon drank a very dark red drink out of a Styrofoam cup.

I forced myself not to stare and made it a point not to ask where it came from.

"So, what do you want me to make you?" Jace asked.

I sat down at the table with a smile. "What's on the menu?"

He thought for a moment. "Scrambled eggs, ice water, cereal and…"

I giggled into my hand as he continued.

"…oh! I can make a good grilled cheese sandwich."

"Coming right up."

_Clarissa!_

The voice was so loud and panicked, it made me jump.

_Clarissa, he's too strong!_

Who was too strong? Who was this voice?

But before I could give him, or at least attempt to give him a reply, the voice turned back to its normal evil tone.

_They're here._

After that, Simon stood from the couch. His fans were protruding from his mouth.

"Si, what's wrong?" Isabelle asked.

Without answering her, he ran to the door and ripped it open with a loud, echoing bang.

"What was that?" Jace asked from the kitchen.

"Nothing," I said. "Stay there!"

I ran to the door and found Isabelle, Simon and Camille fighting a very small army of Drevak and Croucher demons.

Camille was the fastest out of all three. She expertly ducked and dived out of the way when needed and killed them swiftly with just one hit.

Isabelle was aggressive. She didn't care that the demons were scratching at her skin and trying to bite her. She got into the midst of it all and slashed them all with the gold whip she wore around her wrist. I understood why she did that now. It was always handy when needed and it looked like a nice piece of jewelry.

Simon's blows were instinctual. He stood by his Maker's side, protecting her as much as he could and helping Isabelle when she needed it. I would never understand the relationship between a vampire and his Maker.

I ran down the steps, ready to kill the remaining demons when two wolves, who I later realized were Maia and Jordan, jumped on the last of them and sunk their canines into them.

"What the hell?" I yelled as the pile of blood turned to black smoke and left an ugly mark on the pavement.

Maia and Jordan shifted back to human form, their bodies completely nude. Either the two of them made up or wolves were used to seeing each other naked.

Simon stared dumbly at Maia, making Camille and Isabelle smack him upside his head at the same time.

"What's going on?" Jace asked in the doorway.

"Those were the demons we saw at my house," said Maia.

Jace had to blink a few times before decided to only look at me. What a gentleman.

"They must really want that ring."

Jace struggled to keep his eyes on me.

"Where is the ring anyway?" Maia asked.

"I have it," Jace said, still not looking at her. "You're sure that's what they're after?"

"Absolutely," she said.

"We need someone to guard this place," Isabelle said. "This is the second time we've been attacked here."

"You've been attacked before?" Jordan asked. "When?"

"A while ago," I said. "With Simon."

Simon growled a little bit and Isabelle took his hand in response.

"I'll stick around," Jordan said.

"How about," Jace started, "instead of standing around outside where the demons can catch us again, we all migrate _inside_ the holy building where we're safe?"

We all walked in except for Camille and Jordan.

"Sorry, Cam," Simon said.

"It's alright," Camille said. "Are you coming back home tonight or are you staying here?"

One look at Isabelle and he said, "Can I stay here?"

"Sure," she said. "But if you change your mind and I'm not home, I'll be out hunting."

"Ok, see you tomorrow."

I would've commented on Simon's nickname for Camille but I heard someone coming downstairs and Maia was still naked.

"Can someone cover her?" I asked. "I'll get you a robe, Maia."

"Thanks." She crossed her arms and legs but that didn't exactly make her any less nude.

I rounded the corner and saw Alec and Magnus walking from the staircase.

"What happened?" Alec asked.

"A few demons attacked but we're ok," I said. "They were after the ring."

"Well, that was fast," said Magnus.

"Do you want someone to guard the place?" Alec asked.

"Jordan's already on it."

"I'll go get my bow to help him."

Magnus frowned slightly. "I hate it when he puts himself in danger."

I smiled. "That's cute. I'll be right back."

I raced up the steps and grabbed my bathrobe for Maia and gave it to her when I got back down.

Isabelle and Simon were standing in front of her.

"Thanks, Clary."

Isabelle looked at the time. "I'm gonna head to bed. We've got training tomorrow."

"Great."

She shoved past me and headed up the steps as Alec came down with his arrow. He bid goodnight to Magnus and left the institute to stand with Jordan. Hopefully he was back in wolf form by now.

Maia and I sat down at the dinner table as Jace put my sandwich in front of me. And despite everything that happened, the sandwich was perfect.

"Shouldn't this be burnt?" I asked. "I mean you left to check on everyone when the demons came."

"I never burn a grilled cheese sandwich. Ever."

I rolled my eyes.

"Would you like one, Maia?"

"Sure," she said.

When Maryse and Robert emerged from wherever they were, Magnus filled them in on what happened. And after a million, 'is-everyone-ok's and 'by-the-angel's, they said they were heading to the Chrysler Building.

Apparently, Luke was willing to help but he and his pack, with the exception of Maia, were scouting. I guess it ritual for werewolves.

Maia was allowed to stay with us tonight and Magnus agreed to watch us while they were gone.

"And keep a good eye on Jace and Clary," I heard Maryse whisper before leaving.

Magnus nodded and tried not to smile and I blushed.

"I don't wanna know," Simon said as he finished his bloody drink. He threw the cup in the trash and went upstairs to guess to see Isabelle.

"Well, I do."

Maia laughed as Magnus took the chair across from me. "Care to share?"

Jace placed a plate in front of Maia as I opened and closed my mouth like an awkward fish.

"Clary and I fucked like champions," Jace finally said.

Maia stared at us, frozen with the corner of a sandwich in her mouth.

Magnus whipped his head back, causing a few sparkles to fall from his hair and laughed.

"Why did you tell him that?" I meant to sound angry but a few giggle slipped.

"He asked so I told him," he said. "You shouldn't be embarrassed. I think it's definitely something worth bragging about." He winked.

Maia finally finished her bite and chewed. "Wow. And I thought I was bad."

As Jace and Maia talked about the crazy shit they did in front of their parents, I quickly downed my sandwich and then made some crappy excuse about training tomorrow and went to bed.

Magnus was still chuckling as I climbed the stairs.

I was listening to my iPod, drawing stupid pictures of what I thought should be the actual cover for the album when Jace knocked on the door.

I hit pause and went to answer it.

Jace stood in the doorway, his golden locks lighting up his face. His bangs reached down and tangled themselves with his eyelashes. His eyes were bright. The dim light in my room made them even brighter. They shimmered in a way that made me take a step closer to him. And when he saw me smile, his own mouth twitched into my favorite smirk.

"Hi," I said lamely.

"Hey." He took a step forward and I moved out of his way so he could go in.

I closed the door behind us and sat down on the bed. I patted the spot next to me but he didn't sit. He continued to hover over me.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing."

"Then sit with me."

"No." He put two fingers under my chin and lifted my face higher and gently pressed his lips to mine.

I smiled against him and kissed him back.

We fell back on the bed, him on top of me. But he shifted his weight so he wasn't too heavy for me.

I broke the kiss, a little breathless. "No, Jace."

"What? You don't want to?" he asked.

I laughed. "Of course I do. I always do. But after everything that's happened today, this is what you wanna do? Sex?"

"You just said you wanted to but I don't think you do." He rolled off of me. The disappointment on his face amused me.

"Jace, that's not what I'm saying," I said. "It's just that your parents are gone, Maia's here and so is Magnus."

"That's kind of why I'm here right now!" he laughed. "My parents are gone! They won't know. Magnus isn't going to say anything and neither will Maia."

"But what if something happens to Alec and Jordan outside and we don't hear it? What are we gonna say? 'Oh, sorry, we were busy _fucking like champions_.'"

Jace laughed. "Ok, I'm sorry I said that Magnus. But nothing's gonna happen. And if for some reason something does, we'll hear it and we'll save them. I promise."

He rolled back on top of me, kissing all of my tender spots. My jaw, my neck, my chest. It was incredibly hard to resist him when he did that.

The next thing I know, I'm grabbing his hair and smashing his lips to mine as I groan in sexual frustration.

"That's my girl," he mumbled.

**You know I have to make them do it again. I know all you perverts want to see it too XD well stay tuned next weekend for chapter 32!**

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	32. Chapter 32

**Welcome back, peeps! Lol anyone excited for 4th of July? Every year, me and my family have a competition to see who has the best sparklers. It's a little boring but I love showing people up. Haha Well, Again, I'd like to remind everyone this fic is rated M. I think that's pretty much explains what goes on in this chapter. Enjoy!**

I squirmed under Jace. His gentle kisses tingled all the way down to my core. And as much as I enjoyed his touches, I wanted him desperately. I'm sure he knew he was driving me crazy.

"Jace," I panted as he continued to go down further and further.

He looked up behind his lashes. "Yes?"

"Stop torturing me," I said.

Jace smirked and continued running his hands down my legs, back up and stopping at my inner thighs.

I tried grinding my hips into his hands but my jeans were in the way.

Jace chuckled and began moving his hands again. They play with the hem of my shirt before pulling me up so he could take it off.

I closed my eyes as I raised my arms and Jace pulled my shirt over my head.

"Better?" asked Jace.

I shook my head. "You're evil."

He laughed while I pulled him into a kiss. We only broke it when I tugged his shirt off.

I pushed him on his back and took his pants off slowly, making sure my nails scratched every piece of skin along the way.

"Jesus Christ."

"See?" I said. "I can torture too."

"Fuck you."

"Oh, that's exactly what I plan to do."

I crawled on top of him and let my fingers roam his chest.

Now, it was Jace's turn to writhe under me.

I smiled as I watched his eyes roll back and his breathing hitch whenever I touched something sensitive.

I could feel his boner through the seam of my jeans which made me want to stop so he could hurry the hell up and get inside me.

But instead, I played with the elastic part of his boxers. Until he flipped us over so he was on top.

"Are you trying to kill me?" Jace's eyes were dark and filled with lust.

"You started it."

Jace lowered himself close to me and slowly bent his head next to my ear. My heart was pounding, my crotch was pulsing and sweat was beading up on my forehead.

Jace whispered slowly, "And now I'm going to finish it."

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding and arched my back as he reached to undo my bra.

Jace slid the straps down my shoulders and snatched it off.

He kissed the spot in between my breasts making me moan.

I squeezed my legs together, searching for some kind of friction but getting nothing.

My nipples hardened under his hands, his mouth rubbing and licking my abdomen.

"Jace," I whimpered. "I need you. I need you inside me."

With one last flick, Jace actually went where I wanted him to go.

He undid my jeans and pulled them off along with my panties.

I spread my legs for him and reached for the condom I had hidden under my sketchbook.

My hands shook as Jace came closer and closer. And then the condom completely escaped from my grasp when I could feel Jace's breath against my pussy.

"Oh, sweet Jesus," I moaned.

His tongue licked my clit slowly and gently, making my whole body blossom with goosebumps.

"_Jace_."

The vibration of his humming made me grip the bed sheets as I felt my stomach tighten.

"Oh, fuck, Jace!"

"Clary…"

It tightened even more. It almost hurt now. "Jace! Jace, I'm gonna cum!"

His tongue kept mapping out my clit as I gasped for air.

"Cum for me baby."

The sound waves bounced off every sensitive spot in my pussy making my stomach clench one last final time before releasing.

I screamed as the orgasm rocked through me.

Jace climbed back up and kissed me again. I could taste myself in his mouth.

He grabbed the condom that I couldn't grab with my shaky fingers and ripped it open with his teeth.

I pushed him back onto his back and straddled him again. I positioned myself over his dick and slid down slowly.

Both of us groaned in unison.

With me on top, I was able to get him in deeper than before. I wasn't afraid to be a little rough this time. Jace didn't seem to mind either.

We started off hard and fast and it only increased after that.

Jace's hips met mine in each thrust.

I noticed my voice was incredibly loud. I knew I would definitely be made fun of by everyone the next day but at the moment I didn't seem to care.

Jace and I were taking advantage of the fact that our parents were gone.

He gripped my thighs and pulled me down harder.

"Oh, shit!"

My stomach began clenching again and I could feel Jace get bigger inside me.

"Clary, I-I'm gonna-"

I quickened our pace. The sound of our flesh beating together probably would've made me laugh if I wasn't in desperate need of release.

Jace and I yelled each other's names as we exploded together.

I rolled off of Jace and lay next to him breathing heavily.

"Damn."

I looked at Jace and laughed. "Not bad for our second time, huh?"

"Not bad at all," he chuckled. "But…"

I looked at him nervously, wondering if I had done anything wrong.

"…you sure are one hell of a screamer."

I smacked his chest. "You're such a dick."

"You like my dick."

I kissed his jaw. "Yes. Yes, I do."

We sat there like that, just talking for who knows how long. It was when I realized it was three o'clock in the morning and that we had training in three hours when Jace decided to leave.

"No," I said. "Just stay here."

"I can't, I'm sorry." Jace kissed my chastely. "If our parents come home looking for us, we're dead. Sex is kind of off-limits right now."

I pouted.

Jace squeezed his eyes shut. "Don't do that to me, please? You know, I have to."

I groaned and let go of his hand so he could put his clothes back on. "I'll see you in a few hours then."

He winked at me and then left my room.

I put my underwear back on but that was it. It was too hot to wear anything else. So, that's how I slept. I hoped no one would walk in and see me like that.

The next morning, Jace and I were exhausted, which wasn't good because we had training. I barely had enough energy with a full night's sleep.

I found Maia standing outside my room along with Jace when I stepped out in my sleeveless shirt and shorts.

Maia was looking pretty smug while Jace stood across from her, his hair covering most of his face and a tint of pink in his cheeks.

"What?" I asked.

Maia smiled and pointed to the room directly behind mine. "I heard you struck oil."

My eyes widened and looked over to Jace, who only nodded and said, "She heard us."

I groaned as I dropped my head into my hands. "Oh, that's so embarrassing!" I looked up at Maia through my fingers. "Do you think anyone else heard?"

She shrugged. "Well, keep in mind that my room was pretty close to yours."

Jace and I sighed in relief.

"But…"

We tensed again.

"…us supernatural creatures tend to have heightened hearing. And you were pretty loud."

"Well, could you do us a favor?" Jace asked.

"Sure."

"Could you keep it to yourself? Our parents are already keeping a close eye on us. I don't think we can afford getting caught again."

Maia laughed. "Of course. I wasn't going to say anything anyway. And don't worry about Magnus. He wouldn't tell either."

"But Isabelle might," I said as I lifted my head from my hands. "She hates me."

Maia wrapped her arm around my shoulders and walked ahead of Jace. "Then you know what you do?" she asked in a low tone.

"What?" I whispered.

"In training today, show her who's boss."

"But _she's_ training _me._ How am I supposed to show her up if I don't know how to do anything."

"You can do it." She opened the door to the gym for me.

I walked inside a little apprehensively as Isabelle shot me a cold glare.

"First," Maia said, "you can start by fixing your face. You look like a deer caught in the headlights. Relax."

I took a deep breath and tried to neutralize my expression.

"Good. Like that. Just try your best at everything and I'll be keeping watch. Don't worry, I'll always have your back."

I rolled my eyes. Her words didn't exactly make me feel any better but I decided to just get the training over with. It was only an hour anyway. I could last an hour.

Jace took his place next to me as we waited for Alec and Isabelle to finish up whatever they were doing. "What did Maia say to you?"

I sighed. "Nothing important."

"Ok." Alec took a step forward while Isabelle stood behind him with her arms crossed. She would've looked like Alec's bodyguard if he wasn't so much bigger than her. Even though I knew Isabelle was fit, Alec's muscles definitely beat hers in size. "Today, we're going to be working on free-handed self defense."

"Free-handed?" Jace asked.

"No weapons," Alec clarified. "While weapons are great, we need to make sure you can protect yourself if for some reason you don't have one and your opponent does." Alec grabbed a dagger from his belt. "It's just like sparring. But you just have to be more careful."

Alec looked at me and I thought he was going to practice with me which made me feel better. I didn't want to be stuck with Isabelle. But my dreams were crushed when he arched the weapon toward Jace.

Jace caught Alec's wrist.

"Good," said Alec. "And then you just keep going until you knock the weapon out of the other's hand."

Isabelle began walking toward me and I was left there hoping that Maia would save me if anything happened.

I gave Maia, who was standing by the doors, a nervous look. And when I turned back to Isabelle, there was something black flying at me.

Instinctively, I raised my hand to catch it. And I did. But the sharp edge had pushed itself deep into my finger. Had I been a human, I'd have needed stitches.

"You realize you could've killed me, right?" I said in a bored tone.

"So could've Alec with Jace. But he didn't. Next time, I'd be more careful."

I tossed the thing back to her. "What is that anyway?"

"Sure strikes." She threw another one at me and this time, I ducked.

I barely had time to rise back up before she was throwing more at my feet, my head and my waist. But I was able to dodge them easily. It was like I was back on the balance beam blocking Nerf bullets.

"Do you have an unlimited amount of those?"

"I have enough to get through training," she said as she threw more.

I found where she was getting them from. She was trying to hide them by holding them behind her but I could see the pile get smaller and smaller. If I could just outdo her until she ran out, I'd be safe.

I decided to try and do what Maia said and show Isabelle up. When she threw the next sure strike, I tapped it with the heel of my shoe so it ricocheted to Isabelle.

She wasn't expecting it so her dodge came a little late and the blade scratched her cheekbone.

Maia fell back against the wall as she laughed. I swear I could hear bits of her wolf howl as she cackled.

She gave me a thumbs up and I smiled and laughed with her.

But Isabelle had had enough.

Faster than I expected, she charged toward me and tackled me like a linebacker. She lifted one of the sure strikes and tried to ram it deep into my throat but I caught her wrist with both of my hands. The thing is though, she knocked the wind out of me. It was all I could do to keep her from killing me.

Maia, thank the Lord, pushed Isabelle off of me and tried to coach me on breathing again.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Alec bellowed. "Are you trying to kill her?"

"Oh, by the Angel!" Isabelle threw up her hands and smacked them down at her sides. "Of course not! I was just trying to scare her a little. This is training. We don't have time for laughs."

When I was able to take a deep breath again, I picked up the sure strike that was lying beside me and threw at Isabelle. It scratched the spot that used to be her bullet wound. I knew it wouldn't hurt her since she used an iratz but I got my point across.

"If I wasn't a shadowhunter you would've killed me," Isabelle said.

"Next time I'd be more careful," I said in a mocking tone.

She threw down the knife and stormed out of the gym.

"Are you ok?" Maia asked.

I nodded, not wanting to speak. The room had grown silent and everyone's eyes were on me. Why did I suddenly feel like the bad guy? I was the one who almost got her throat slashed.

"C'mon guys," Alec said. "Training isn't over yet."

Maia, Jace and I followed Alec into the weapons room. Jace smirked at me a little and I tried to act like I'd never seen the place before.

"Since you're terrible at acting," Alec said, "and I know you had to get the weapons you used at the Chrysler Building from somewhere, you can stop pretending. We all know you've been here."

I stifled my laughter.

"I wanted you guys to wait for the weapons because there's something different about these."

"What?" Jace asked.

"You don't choose the weapons," Alec said. "The weapons choose you."

I thought back to the night when I was training alone. I had snuck into the weapons room and grabbed the dagger. I remembered the way it fit perfectly into my hand. I remembered thinking it was like touching Jace. Electricity began coursing through me. Adrenaline made my heart beat faster and harder.

Had the dagger chosen me?

Alec placed his hand on my shoulder, bringing me back to reality. He was following my gaze to the drawer that held the daggers. "I have a feeling a weapon has already chosen you, Clary."

I opened the drawer and picked up one of the daggers. I twirled it in my hand. It should've cut my fingers since I had no practice with them. But when I held it, it was like my brain was wired to handle it.

"What does it feel like?" Alec said as he watched me do tricks with it expertly.

"Like it's a part of me."

He smiled and nodded. "The dagger is your weapon."

"My weapon?" I repeated.

"The dagger is the weapon you're most comfortable with and the weapon you can create most damage with. We'll teach you how to handle other weapons too. But when we take you out for battle, do _not_ forget your dagger."

I nodded.

"That was the weapon you used when you snuck out to help us, wasn't it?" he asked.

"Yeah, why?"

Alec didn't answer. He only turned to Jace. "What weapon were you using?"

"The sword," he said as he pointed to the large silver ones hanging on the wall.

"Those are called seraph blades," Alec said as he grabbed one. "Each one has a different name. You call their name for them to work. You can do damage without calling them but the enemy will most likely heal. If you call their name, they can't."

Alec handed the blade to Jace. "What does it feel like to you?"

Jace tossed it lightly in the air and caught it. "It's not too heavy. It's light, even." He traced his finger over the blade's name that was imprinted on the side of the blade. "It's perfect."

"Seraph blades have chosen you. So, I guess you guys are one step ahead of me, then. We'll work on using them tomorrow. Wash up and get some breakfast. Mom and Dad will be home soon."

We put the weapons away and the three of us, Maia, Jace and I walked back to our rooms. Well, Jace followed me into mine.

"So, is training always that rough for you guys?" Maia asked.

"Not usually," I said. "Some days are hard depending on how moody Isabelle is but I think I really pissed her off today."

"What exactly did you do?" Maia asked.

I sighed. "I fucked her big brother." I opened the door to my room and pulled Jace inside with me. "Like a champion," I added.


	33. Chapter 33

**Hey guys! So, I don't know if you know, but this fanfiction has been nominated for an award! It's a W.I.P (work in process) award. The category is the 'Most Promising Mortal Instruments Fanfiction.' Voting starts next Friday (on the thirteenth, ironically enough) so _please_ don't forget about me! I'll put the link on my profile and I'll tweet it twenty thousand times!**

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I know that dragging Jace into the shower with me was a stupid idea. I knew it then too. But what can I say? With being a teenager comes eating everything in sight, not giving a damn about most things and getting randomly horny.

I stepped under the warm spray and pulled Jace in with me.

"This is new," Jace said and he tangled his fingers into my wet hair.

I shrugged. "You'll never become old and wise if you were never young and crazy."

Jace squirted some of my body wash into his hand and rubbed it on me.

"What are you doing?" I laughed.

"Lathering you up," he said in a low tone. When he looked up, I saw his eyes darken and the formation of a boner.

He turned me around, so my back was pressed against his chest. His hand moved in a circular motion around my abdomen. Then he slid to my hips, up my nonexistent curves and just under my breasts.

I allowed myself to lean against him as my nipples hardened to his touch.

"You're so beautiful, Clary."

My eyes rolled back and a small moan escaped my mouth when Jace's fingers stroked my clit gently.

Jace's fingers curled inside me. It felt so good, I pressed too much of my weight against Jace and we almost slipped.

"Whoa!"

I turned around and giggled into his chest. "C'mere." I pulled his lips down to mine.

Jace picked me up pushed my back against the cold wall of the shower. It would've made me shiver if I wasn't already covered with sweat from training.

Jace pulled away for a moment but only to continue kissing my neck. He nibbled, licked and sucked, making my breathing hitch.

I tried to be quiet, not wanting the entire household to know what was going on. But Maia might already have an idea since she saw me drag Jace inside with me.

When someone knocked on the bathroom door, Jace and I stopped immediately.

"Do you think that's Maryse?" I whispered.

"No, not Maryse," a shouted outside the door. "Just Alec. I just wanted to tell you guys to hurry up in there. Isabelle's already upset and I don't want her trying anything if she finds out…what you're up to."

Jace and I laughed.

"Alright, Alec," Jace yelled. "Thanks for the concern. We'll be right out."

A pause, and then, "O-ok."

I tried not to watch Jace as he washed himself up and he tried to do the same with me. But again, we're just teenagers. Just knowing that a hot naked person was behind me got me all hot and bothered.

I stepped out of the bathroom with a towel around me but Jace stayed inside.

"I'll be out in a minute," he said.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Nothing," he answered quickly. "Just listen to your iPod or something."

After giving him a confused look, I grabbed my iPod and he closed the door. But I never turned it on. I was interested in what he was doing.

I listened for about a minute but I didn't hear anything. So, I put my iPod back down and went to pick out my clothes.

I was about to dry my hair when I heard Jace begin to hyperventilate. At first I thought he was in trouble. My first thought was demons breaking in but then I remembered this was holy ground. It was impossible for them to enter.

Then, it finally clicked.

I covered my mouth to stifle my laughs.

Jace Herondale was jacking off in my bathroom.

When my crotch began to tingle, I turned on the hairdryer to block out the sound. I didn't want anyone at breakfast to see how sexually frustrated I was.

But even though I had the hairdryer running, I was still able to make out the sound of him reaching his climax.

When Jace stepped out, I continued tending my hair. I hoped that blowing it in my face would hide my blush.

"So, I have a little problem," Jace said when I turned the hairdryer off.

"What is it?"

"My room's pretty far from yours and I only have a towel. You think anyone will see me if I run?"

I tossed my head back and laughed.

"This isn't funny, Clary."

I tossed him my stele. "Draw yourself a Speed rune or something. Oh, God, that's too funny."

"Whatever." He handed it back to me when he was finished.

I was still laughing after he left.

At breakfast, Jace and I were early, for the first time since I've been here.

"Good morning," Magnus called from the kitchen.

"'Morning," we said.

"Breakfast isn't ready yet, sorry."

"It's alright," I said. "Take your time."

"So what were you two up to last night?" Magnus turned around and I could see him wink at me.

"Were we that loud?" Jace asked.

"Well, _you_ weren't Jace," Magnus said, "but your girlfriend of yours is a screamer."

I gasped. I wanted to say something back but instead I hid my face behind my hands.

"You may wanna work on that if you plan on doing that while the parents are home," he said.

"I know," I whined.

Jace shrugged. "I'm not complaining."

Magnus laughed as I smacked Jace's shoulder.

"When will they be back anyway?" I asked.

"They just called actually," Magnus said. "They're talking with Luke and the pack and then they're gonna be on their way home."

Alec and Maia walked in the room and took the seats next to me.

"You're just in time," Magnus said carrying two serving plates. One had bacon and the other had omelets. "There are sausages too." Magnus went back into the kitchen.

"Where's Isabelle?" I asked.

"She locked herself in her room," Alec said. "I told you she's upset."

"It's honestly not that big of a deal," said Maia as she grabbed some bacon and an omelet. "It's not like Isabelle doesn't go around and have her fair share of…fun."

"Is she gonna come get something to eat?" I asked.

"She'll probably come down later."

When Magnus came back with the sausages, we didn't talk about Isabelle. Or demons. Or demons. We just joked around.

That's what I loved about Magnus. He knew exactly how brighten the mood. The man was just so jolly. Hell, he could just stand there and we'd smile. Even the clothes he wore were cheerful.

And with Jace holding my hand under the table, I couldn't ask for anything better.

Even when we finished breakfast, we didn't leave the table because we knew that once we left we'd have to deal with more drama. We'd have to worry about Isabelle and about other Shadowhunter things. It was very tiring. But Jace seemed to be on a work ethic that day.

He excused himself from the table.

"You ok?" I asked.

He nodded. "Yeah, I'm just gonna check on Izzy. I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Remember when we went bowling?" Maia asked.

Magnus and I smiled. "That was so fun."

"When this whole thing is over, we should go do that again."

I nodded. "Yeah, with all of us this time."

"You can invite Jonathan."

I tried to picture him with us. I wondered what he looked like. Did he have Jocelyn's red hair? What color were his eyes?

Robert and Maryse came back while we were discussing activities we were planning to do.

"Hey, Mom, Dad," Alec greeted.

"Hey, guys. How have things been?"

We gave them a good report, deciding that the whole Isabelle fiasco wasn't required.

They were thanking Magnus for watching us when Jace came back down.

"Did she talk to you?" I asked.

He shook his head. "No. She didn't even open the door."

"There you are," said Maryse. "I was wondering where the rest of you were. Where's Isabelle?"

"Upstairs in her room," said Jace. "She's not feeling too great."

I put my dishes away and excused myself to visit Isabelle myself.

I knocked loudly so she could hear over the music that was playing.

"What?" she asked exasperatedly after opening the door.

"Can we talk?" I asked.

"No! I don't want to talk to anyone, especially you." She went to close the door but I put my foot in the way.

"I think you do," I said.

"And what makes you think that?"

"You opened the door for me and not your brother."

She narrowed her eyes.

"C'mon, Isabelle. Don't you at least want to try and work this out."

She opened the door wider and let me step inside. "You're the one who started this whole thing."

I crossed my arms. "I'm gonna pretend you didn't just say that considering you were the one who almost killed me today."

She rolled her eyes. "_Please!_ You were winded and weak. If I wanted to kill you, I could've without breaking a sweat. I was training you."

"You were _training_ me? Wow that's-"

"I was about to show you something before that _dog_ pushed me off of you," she growled.

"Show me what?"

"A burst of energy. All Nephilim get it. Humans call it adrenaline rush but it's stronger for us. A couple more seconds like that and you would've been able to kick my ass."

I was quiet for a moment. Then I said, "Excuse me?"

Isabelle rolled her eyes. "It's a burst of power we get from Raziel. At least that's what the stories say. When Nephilim are in danger, Raziel gives us some of his power to help us."

"How come Alec never mentioned it?"

"Because he wants to take things step by step, which we don't have time for. We gotta get you and Jace ready _now_. You wanna know why I push you so hard?"

"Why?" I asked suspiciously.

"There's something inside you. I don't know what it is yet but I'm sure you can use it to help us. When I look at you, I can practically feel all that latent power you have."

"Ok," I said taking a step away from her. "You're starting to freak me out. Why are you talking like an oracle?"

She ignored my question. "Nephilim only have partial Angel blood in you. And this might sound creepy but everyone agrees that you may be the purest of them all."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning, you have the most Angel blood. I'm pushing you because I want you to be able to use everything you have to help us. I mean, don't you see what's happening here? It's not all about Valentine and your brother."

"What is it then?"

She sighed. "I don't know yet. But look at everything that's happened. We've gotten more demon attacks lately than we do in a year. It's like battle lines are being drawn."

"A battle?" I repeated. "Between who? What?"

"That's what we're trying to find out, Clary." Isabelle ran a hand through her hand. "Everyone's beginning to choose sides and I'm tired of fighting with you. We can't be on opposite sides anymore."

"We were never on opposite sides," I said. "You're the one who can't stand to see me with Jace."

"Need I remind you what you said to me about Simon?"

I clenched my teeth and swallowed. And regretfully, I said, "I was wrong. I didn't see how much you cared for each other until recently."

She turned away and rubbed her neck nervously. I pretended not to see the fang marks there.

"Where is Simon anyway?" I asked. "He was here yesterday."

"He left while we were training," she said. "He felt bad about leaving Camille by herself."

We stood there awkwardly silent.

"So…" I shuffled my feet. "Are we good now?"

"I guess," she said. "And just F.Y.I., I can stand you being with Jace. I just don't want to see him hurt again."

"Again?"

She nodded. "You should've seen him when we first adopted him. I never really understood because I was so young but something bad had happened to him. After his parents died, someone took care of him for a little while. But when he turned five, they left him on the street by himself."

I my jaw dropped.

"Exactly. He doesn't remember much thank the Angel, but we're pretty sure he was abused. If something happens between you and him, what if he decides to run away like you did?"

I shoved my hands deep in my pockets.

"I highly doubt he'll be able to take care of himself. Someone might find him and hurt him if the demons don't beat them to it."

"Just so you know," I said, "I didn't just run off on my own. I ran to someone I knew. Maybe Jace will have the same sense."

"Clary, he doesn't have anyone else," she said. "Maryse kept him locked up in that house for as much as she could. He didn't have any friends. Both of our parents' siblings are dead. There's no one but us."

"What about some of his therapists?" I asked but I already knew the answer. I never befriended my therapists, not including Magnus. And they were probably just pawns in Maryse's plan to keep the Nephilim world a secret to him.

"Besides the therapists were only there to fool Jace," she said, voicing my thoughts.

"Wow, Alec was right."

"Right about what? What did he say?"

I smiled, hoping that saying it would help bring Isabelle and I closer. "A while ago, Alec told me that you don't talk much but when you make speeches, you make them count."

"Hell yeah, I do."

I walked to the door. "Thanks for not slicing my throat open today in training."

She rolled her eyes. "Is there anything left to eat?"

"Yeah, there's a plate waiting for you. But It's probably cold now."

"I'll nuke it."

I liked walking next to Isabelle. Before when she was being nice to me, I could tell it was fake. But now I felt like we had a connection. Maybe this time around, we'd be able to go a whole day without wanting to rip each other's hair out.

"Isabelle," Maryse said disappointedly, "you know I hate it when you're late for meals."

"Yeah, yeah, I know."

"How'd you do that?" Jace asked.

I shrugged. "We just talked."

"And you're ok? Seriously? No more fighting?"

"I don't know," I said honestly. "But let's not jinx it."

Jace and I were in his room watching TV when Isabelle knocked on the door.

Jace smiled. "Come in, sis."

"Don't call me that," she said as she entered. "It makes me feel like a nun."

"Sorry. What's up?"

"I actually wanted to ask Clary something."

I stood up thinking she wanted to talk in private but instead she just blurted it out.

"I want you to be my _parabatai_," she said.

"Your what?"

"_Parabatai_," she repeated. "It's kind of like a binding spell but not really."

"Why the hell would you want to put a not-real binding spell on us?"

"Because it'll make us one," she said quickly. She spoke quickly. She acted like if she didn't get everything out that very moment she would combust. "Figuratively, of course. It'll make us physically stronger, which is what we need. We need more power for what's about to happen with Valentine."

I looked at Jace but he didn't look like he had a clue either. "O…kay? If you think it'll help."

"You can say no," she said. "We can only become _parabatai_ if the both of us are willing. We'll be sisters."

"Ok, just explain to me again, what is it? How do we do it?"

"It's a ceremony," she said. "Basically a pastor-like dude puts these special runes on us. That's what binds us. But it's also kind of dangerous."

"Why?" I asked.

"Let's say that we're _parabatai_ and I die. When I die, it'll be like half of you is missing. It could lead to mental illness, depression and all sorts of wacko shit."

"Ok, so it's dangerous but powerful."

"Yes. We'll share thoughts. I mean, we won't be psychic or anything but we'll have more of an understanding with each other. If you're in danger, I'll be able to find you quickly and vice versa. So, what do you say? It could help speed things along."

I nodded. "Ok. We'll just have to be more careful when it comes to fighting with demons is all."

"Exactly. Now c'mon, let's tell my parents."

She took my hand and we walked together down the steps.

"This isn't like a marriage or anything, is it?" I asked.

"No," she said. "It's as important as marriage which makes me think I should've asked you in a more special way but like I said before, we're low on time."

"It's as _important_ as marriage?"

She scoffed. "Out of everything I said, that's what strikes your interest? Oh, never mind, but yes, it is. But don't worry, it's not romantic at all. In fact, it's against the Law to be romantically involved with your _parabatai_."

"Cool."

We found Isabelle's parents sitting in the library.

"Mom, Dad," Isabelle said, still holding my hand. I hoped she was serious about it not being romantic.

Maryse did a double-take at our hands. "Iz?"

"Clary agreed to be my _parabatai_."

**Again, I want to thank you guys for enjoying th fanfic and for reviewing! You guys are awesome and I love you. Vote for me on the thirteenth! Link is on my profile and I'll tweet it so many times you'll get sick of seeing it.**

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	34. Chapter 34

**So, I know I've mentioned this before but this fanfic has been nominated for an Energize W.I.P. award and voting has already been started! It ends on the twentieth so _please_ go vote! The link is on my profile and I've been tweeting about it nonstop since Friday lol. But yeah, that's it. Enjoy!**

"Oh, honey! That's great!"

I looked up at Isabelle, who was smiling at her parents. When she caught me staring, she asked, "What?"

I shook my head. "Nothing. I guess it's just a little awkward."

"Oh," Robert said, taking his hand off my shoulder. "I'm sorry. I guess you just caught us off guard. You two just didn't seem very…close. Why the change of heart?"

I shrugged. "We just talked."

"Turns out," Isabelle said, taking the pressure away from me, "we were just misunderstanding each other."

"Well, girls," Maryse started, "I'm glad that you're getting along and you've come to the decision of becoming _parabatai._ But, I'm afraid, we're going to have to push it back until this whole thing with Valentine and Jonathan passes over."

I ran a hand through my hair and stayed quiet while Isabelle worked her magic.

"Mom, c'mon, this is the best time. Valentine and Jonathan are busy hiding from us to do anything."

Maryse rolled her eyes. "The _best time?_ Isabelle, what happens if the demon they're summoning breaks loose from his bounds."

"That won't happen."

"The number one rule as a Nephilim is to never make assumptions. Be ready for anything. You sound like an amateur."

While Maryse and Isabelle went at it, I sat down on the couch next to Robert.

"I want to hear what you think," Robert said suddenly.

I blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Do you really want to be _parabatai?_" he asked.

"Of course."

"Forgive me, but it just doesn't seem that way. It's like you're hiding behind Isabelle, letting her do all the talking. But Clary, this is about you too."

I looked back at my Izzy. "I do want it."

"You do?"

I nodded and turned back to Robert. "We didn't exactly get off on the right foot when we first met. I feel like I was such a _girl_ before I came here. But then we started training."

I tried to ignore the sound of Maryse and her daughter bickering as I spoke with Robert but he acted like he saw them like this all the time. He made it look easy, concentrating on me without being distracted.

"And it was just Isabelle, it was Alec too," I continued, "but Alec was always so nice to me, which is a good thing, don't get me wrong. But Isabelle wasn't afraid to be a hard-ass and really push me. I think that's kind of what gave me the courage to sneak off that night when all of you guys went to the Chrysler Building."

Robert smiled. "That _was_ very brave of you."

"I kept thinking about what Isabelle would do."

"I see she's become a sort of role model for you."

I shrugged. "Yeah, I guess so. But it's more than that. I don't want to just be like her. I want to…" I sighed. "I don't know. Be friends I guess."

Isabelle groaned. "Fine! Forget it." And then she stormed out.

Maryse turned around to her husband, her hands on her hips. "It's always a fight with her."

I stood from the couch. "I think I'll go check on her."

I went up to Isabelle's room and found her pacing back and forth in front of her bed. When she saw me, she nodded, telling me it was ok to come in.

"Why the _fuck_ did I do that? I should've known she was going to do that. Everything has to be done her way and her way only."

I sat down on the bed. "Iz, calm down."

"No! Don't tell me to calm down! You calm down! We're having this ceremony. We're adults. We don't need our parents' consent if we're adults, right? Right."

"Isabelle," I said, "we're only seventeen."

She gave me a strange look and then, "Oh, yeah. I keep forgetting how new you are to this. You know, you can fool anyone if they see you in training."

I rolled my eyes.

"But, shadowhunters are considered adults at the age fifteen. And since we're both seventeen, I say-wait…we are both seventeen, right?"

I crossed my arms. "Seriously?"

"Sorry!" she said with a laugh. "But you're a little short. I had to make sure."

"Jesus, Isabelle. I mean, thanks for pointing out my flaws."

"Oh, shut up. Some guys find small girls cute. Like my brother for example. But anyway, get ready. Grab your stele and some weapons. We're going out."

"Where are we going?"

"We're going to find someone who will give us the ceremony. So, c'mon."

"Wait." I stilled Isabelle's hands and put the whip she was wrapping around her wrist back on her dresser. "I thought you said this ceremony is as important as a wedding."

"It is."

"Then shouldn't we take some time to plan it? You know, think about who we want there, where we'll have it, what to wear?"

She nodded. "You've got a good point." She grabbed a notebook from one of the drawers on her nightstand. Then she sat next to me.

"And," I went on, "I think if we give your parents some time, they'll find someone have the ceremony for us."

She rolled her eyes. "Did you not see the huge argument my mother and I had a few minutes ago."

"I did but did you see your father and I talking?" I asked. "I think I convinced him."

Isabelle turned toward me, her face more serious than before. "_Convinced_. Why did you say that?""Say what?"

"You said it like you don't really want this."

"What? To be _parabatai?_"

"It's fine if you don't," she said. "I just wish you had said something before I went off on a tangent with my mom."

"Wait, you really want this? You really want to be my _parabatai?_"

"Of course, I do. I wouldn't have asked you if I didn't. Don't you?"

"Yes," I said, surprising myself. "I do. It's just, you made it seem like it was just for the battle or whatever."

"Clary, c'mon." She gave me a look that reminded me of Jocelyn when I used to say I thought I was ugly. "I could've chosen anyone. Alec, Jace, a stranger Nephilim. But I chose you."

I don't know why that astonished me so much. I guess, I was so used to the idea of Isabelle hating me. I never thought about what it would be like to be friends. Closer than friends. Closer than siblings. _Parabatai_.

"So what do you think?" Isabelle asked. "Where should we have it?"

"Can we have it here?" I asked.

"We can have it anywhere we want to," she said as she wrote.

"I just don't want anything to happen and we're too far away from our weapons or something."

"Understandable. And I know you said we should think about who to invite but let's be honest, we don't really have a whole bunch to invite," said Isabelle. "Just our family."

"And friends," I said. "Friends can come too, right?"

"Sure. So Maia, Jordan, your parents. Who else?"

"Simon."

The minute I mentioned his name, I saw her eyes light up. I've never seen Isabelle so happy before.

"And maybe Camille and Magnus too."

Isabelle nodded. "Ok. Sounds like we've got quite a party waiting for us."

I smiled. "Yeah, I guess. For shadowhunters, we're very socially active."

She laughed. "I'll say. We're probably the only ones who actually have lives."

I giggled. "Ok, ok. Back to planning. What about decorations?"

"Well, we could but I don't really see the point. It'll only be more to clean up later. I mean, it's just close friends and family, right? But if you really want to, we can."

"No, you're right. What about clothes? Is there a certain color we wear or can we throw on anything?"

"Something red," Isabelle said.

"Red?"

She nodded. "There's a nursery rhyme that goes like this.

_Black for hunting through the night_

_For death and sorrow, the color's white._

_Gold for a bride in her wedding gown,_

_And red to call enchantment down."_

"That was a nursery rhyme?"

"Yeah, why are you so surprised?"

"Little kids were taught about hunting?"

"Shadowhunters live short lives compared to the mundanes," Isabelle said. "We have to get the children grown up faster."

"Which is why shadowhunters are considered adults at fifteen."

"Exactly."

"Should we make invitation cards?" I asked. "I mean, after training, I don't know about you but, I'm always really bored. Being stuck in this institute all day makes me crazy."

Isabelle nodded. "I feel you. Yeah, we can make them, just for fun. But we have to decided when we're having the ceremony."

"As soon as possible."

She smiled. "My thoughts exactly."

_Clarissa?_

I had to fight to keep my smile from wavering. But Isabelle caught it.

"What?"

I shook my head. "Nothing."

"No, not nothing. You looked like you just saw your first demon."

_Clarissa, can you hear me?_

I stood up and closed the door to Isabelle's room. "If I tell you, you have to promise you won't laugh at me."

"_Oh_, it's like we're ten again," Isabelle laughed. "Sharing secrets and playing truth or dare."

I sat back down on the bed. "I'm serious."

"Ok," she said. "I promise I won't laugh."

_Oh, my Angel, please don't be dead._

"So, you know how you said Maryse had Jace go to therapy to make him believe there was something wrong with him?"

She nodded. "I wasn't too pleased with that decision, but go on."

"My mother did the same with me. But lately, I'm starting to think that maybe I really _am_ crazy."

"Why?"

"I'm hearing voices. Well, just one."

"Who is it? What is he saying?"

"I don't know. He might not even be a real person."

Isabelle rolled her eyes. "Please, you're not crazy. Trust me, there are crazier things. What is he saying?"

"He's asking if he can hear me," I said. "So, I don't think he knows whether or not I can hear him."

_I just realized something._

"He said he just realized something. But I don't know how to reply back!"

Isabelle gave me her stele. "Think. Use your clairvoyant abilities to create a rune."

_You probably don't know who I am._

I closed my eyes and tried to slow my heartbeat. I tried to imagine I had all the time in the world. I matched symbols with words.

Communication? No, that wasn't right.

_This will sound a little sudden, but I don't have much time to explain._

Interaction? No, that wasn't right either.

Telepathy?

The image flashed behind my eyes.

I picked up Isabelle's stele and drew the rune on my forearm.

I cringed at the smell of burning skin and tried to ignore the sting when it took effect.

_My name is Jonathan._

"It's Jonathan!" I told Isabelle.

"What? That's who's been talking to you?"

_Clarissa?_

"Yeah, it's me!" I had never been so excited in my life. "Oh my God, are you ok? Where are you?"

_So you can hear me! Thank the Angel. I'm so glad you're ok. I thought the last set of demons Valentine sent to you killed you. I have a lot of news to tell you._

"Jonathan, I already know. Our mother told me everything a while ago. Where are you?"

_I don't know. Look, I don't have a lot of time. Valentine will be returning soon. I don't want him to find out._

"Find out what?"

Isabelle shoved the notebook and her pen away. "What's he saying?"

I lifted my finger, telling her to wait.

_He's having demons possess me. I don't want him to know I killed the one who's supposed to be in me now._

"Valentine's making demons possess him. That's why he was never able to get away."

"Seriously?" Isabelle asked. "I didn't know that was possible."

_Are you talking to someone?_

"Yeah, sorry. She's my friend. We're gonna help you."

_I'm scared, Clarissa. I'm afraid Valentine will find out._

"He won't find out," I said. "You just have to keep pretending."

_But I've _been_ pretending. I killed a person to keep up the act. It was horrible._

"He says he's trying to keep up the act," I said. "And he killed someone."

"Who?" Isabelle asked.

"Jonathan, it's ok. Who did you kill?"

_Some guy by the name of Pangborn. He had a brother too. Valentine made sure he killed the other personally._

"Does the name Pangborn ring any bells to you?" I asked Isabelle.

She shook her head.

_Valentine said that they betrayed him._

"Valentine told Jonathan that the Pangborns betrayed him."

Isabelle scrunched her face together as she thought. "I think Valentine had this thing years ago called The Circle. Maybe they were part of that. I can ask my mom."

_I don't want to kill anyone else._

"Jonathan, where are you?" I asked.

_I don't know. I'm in a house but it's like it moves. Every day we're in a new place. We've jumped to places in minutes. Florida to France, France to Greece and Greece to Spain. And we never ever left this house._

"I think Valentine's using portals," I said. "That's why we can never catch them. They're using portals to travel all across the world."

"Where are they now?" Isabelle asked.

"Somewhere in Europe probably."

_Valentine says we have to come back to New York soon._

"They're coming back here soon though."

"Probably to check in on Azazel."

"Jonathan, do you know which demon you summoned? Back here in New York."

_Azazel. He's who I fear most._

"Don't worry," I said. "He's bound to whatever it is you summoned him in."

_Clarissa, you don't understand._

"What is it?"

_Valentine wants Azazel to possess me._

I looked at Isabelle. "Valentine's planning on having Azazel possess Jonathan."

Her eyes widened. "We have to tell everyone. And I mean _everyone._ My parents, Jocelyn, Luke and his pack, everyone!"

_Valentine's back. I have to go. I'll check in whenever I can._

"He says Valentine's back. Ok, Jonathan, just hang in there. We'll get you out of there."

_One quick question before I go._

"Ok."

_A couple weeks ago, I ran into one of your friends. She was really tall and had really long black hair._

I looked at Isabelle. "I'm talking to her now. What's wrong?"

_Nothing. I just wanted to make sure she was ok. I was about to run away with her when that damned demon possessed me. Tell her I'm sorry for me._

"Of course. Now, go. I don't want you to get caught."

He was quiet for a moment. And then, _I will eventually. Valentine isn't stupid._

And then the connection disappeared along with the rune that I had drawn.

"What he say about me?" Isabelle asked.

I looked at her and smiled. "He said he was sorry. You know, when you went off to find him by yourself and then you got caught."

She glared, not at me, for a change. Just in general. "I still haven't gotten my revenge for that night."

"Well, you will soon. C'mon, let's catch everyone up on what they missed."

"Why don't you call a meeting again?" she asked. "The way you did a couple nights ago. That was so funny."

"Oh, shut up."

**I hope you all enjoyed this chap! I wanted to have Clary and Isabelle bond for a little bit. Sorry there was no Jace! But you'll see him soon!**

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	35. Chapter 35

**So before I start the chapter I just want to thank all of you who voted for Don't Be Afraid! I'm so happy! We got first place! Don't Be Afraid is officially "The Most Promising Mortal Instruments Fanfiction" OMG Thank you guys so so so much! I'm extremely happy! Haha well, I'm gonna quit bragging and let you read. Thanks again!**

I felt different.

Maybe it was because of my newfound friendship with Isabelle. Knowing that Isabelle wasn't out to get me definitely lifted some weight off my shoulders. And we were going to become _parabatai_.

Both are very good reasons to be happy. But there was more to this feeling. Something was definitely different. And that's when I realized.

All I ever wanted was to be accepted.

When I first met Jace, he let me in. He didn't push me away when I told him about the things I was seeing. Of course the fact that he could see them too helped.

Magnus and Camille were always there for me. They were like my surrogate parents.

Robert and Maryse treated me like I was part of their family as did Alec.

But Isabelle was my test. She pushed me to my limits. Unlike everyone else, she wanted to see what I could do before she took me in.

And all this time, I thought I wasn't going to get anywhere with her. And I'm not sure what it was, but something I did must have impressed her because now, she was willingly sitting next to me. She was willing to defend me.

The old Clary was small and weak. She was insecure. But now I was different. I pushed my insecurities behind me and I didn't feel so helpless anymore. I felt strong. I felt like a Shadowhunter.

When Simon and Magnus walked into the study, Isabelle and I sighed. Everyone was eager to find out what was going on.

Magnus took the seat next to Alec while Simon sat next to Isabelle.

I cleared my throat, though it was unnecessary because everyone was already staring at Isabelle and me.

"I spoke with Jonathan." Yeah, I know that was a little cryptic but I didn't get any chance to elaborate. Everyone was already screaming at me.

"When?"

"Did he come to the Institute?"

"Did you leave?"

After Isabelle gave everyone the stink eye, it was quiet enough for me to explain.

"He's been speaking with me for as long as I can remember," I said. "I can hear his voice in my head. I don't know if he's using magic or if he's using a rune. All I know is that he's trying to help us."

Isabelle spoke then. "Jonathan's being possessed. Valentine is letting demons take over his body. And we figured out what he plans on doing with Azazel."

Everyone sat up at that.

She continued. "He's going to let Azazel possess Jonathan. Raziel only knows what they'll do after that."

The words chilled me to the bone, causing me to shudder.

Jace squeezed my hand and gave me a concerned look.

I didn't bother trying to smile at him. I knew it would come out looking like a grimace anyway. So I settled for bringing his hand to my lips and kissed it lightly.

"We have to find them," Maryse said. "If we can just get Jonathan away from him-"

"That's the tough part," I interrupted. "I asked Jonathan where he was and he said half the time he doesn't even know. Somehow, they're traveling to different states and countries but at the same time, never leaving the place they're staying in."

"What?" Alec pinched the bridge of his nose in a way that reminded me of Robert. If things weren't so hectic, I might've smiled. "That makes absolutely no sense."

"Tell me about it." I sighed. "I think the two of them are in Europe right now. I could be wrong but they're not here. But Jonathan said they were coming back here soon."

"When is soon?" Robert asked.

"I have no idea."

"Oh!"

I looked over to Isabelle.

"Jonathan also said that Valentine doesn't know that he's not possessed anymore. But he pretended to be so he could keep in touch with Clary."

"He has to keep doing that," said Maryse. "It's the only way we can keep the information coming."

"That's what Clary told him. But Valentine forced him to kill someone. Brothers by the name of Pangborn?"

Maryse's face hardened. "They were in the Circle with Valentine. They supported him for a while but soon they came up with this crazy plan to try and kill Valentine. We all warned them that they would regret it." She rolled her eyes and muttered, "Idiots."

"I think I know how they're slipping through our fingers," said Magnus.

We all looked at him.

"We can never catch them because they're jumping through dimensions," he explained.

"But can we catch them?" I asked.

"Yes, but it will be difficult," he said. "You said that Valentine plans on coming back here soon? They're probably going to visit Azazel. We have to be ready for them."

"Can't we just go into these dimensions and look for them?" I asked.

His eyes blazed. "Absolutely not." Magnus closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Clary, the dimension we live in now is dangerous. You think we can risk going into another one? It could be the death of us."

"But we can't just sit on our asses and wait for them!"

Jace was rubbing my back, desperately trying to calm me. It was working but I was still upset.

"Magnus is right," Isabelle whispered next to me. "Besides, we don't know how many demons he's got working for him."

"I'm sorry, Clary," Magnus said. "I know this is hard. But I swear to you, we will save your brother."

I looked back to Magnus and found him crouching next to me. "Don't make promises you can't keep."

He smiled. "I'm not."

After the meeting, I locked myself up in my room. I know I had everyone worried but I wanted to be alone.

Jonathan was in danger and I couldn't do anything but sit on my hands and wait. So much for feeling powerful.

I busied myself by tracing the Telepathy rune I used to talk with Jonathan on my sketchbook. And when I got bored with that, I went to drawing Jace.

As I drew his eyes, I began to get lost in them. It amazed me how he was able to do that. Even when _I_ was the one who created him on a piece of paper.

After spending twenty minutes trying to get the brown specks into his eyes, I realized someone was watching me.

I looked up and to find golden eyes drinking me in.

Jace smiled my favorite smirk. The one that made me want to open my legs for him.

"Sorry," he mumbled. "I knocked but you didn't answer."

I closed my sketchbook. "I guess I was a little distracted."

"Are you ok?"

I shrugged. "I guess I'm just anxious."

Jace closed the door. "C'mere."

I practically jumped into his open arms.

"I'm sorry about your brother," he said.

I sighed into his chest and he hugged me tighter.

"If Jonathan were Alec or Isabelle, I don't know what I'd do. I don't see them a lot. And now that I have the chance to spend every minute of the day with them, I feel normal almost. And whenever they leave, I fear that they won't come back. So, I have a pretty good idea of what you're going through. And I'm so sorry that there isn't anything I can do to help you."

I chuckled. "Silly boy." I looked up at him. "You already are helping me. Just being here helps me. I love you, Jace."

"I love you too."

After a moment, Jace pulled away to grasp my hand. "Come with me."

"Where are we going?" I asked as we left my room.

"You'll see."

We walked up the stairs and turned down multiple hallways. It didn't take me long to figure out where we were going.

We entered the room that was on the front side of the building. Through the window, we had a view of New York City.

"This is where you told me you loved me," I said as I sat down on the bed.

Jace smiled and sat next to me. "I figured you needed a little distraction from the stress of today." He cupped my cheek and kissed me.

The kiss, unlike our previous ones, was sweet and gentle. And even though it was slow, his lips still had the ability to wash away all my worries.

When the kiss broke, Jace smiled like a ten year old boy on Christmas.

I laughed. "What?"

He grabbed a pad of lined paper from the desk that sat against the wall. "Teach me how to draw?"

I rolled my eyes and put the remote control in front of him. "I should warn you, I'm a pretty bad teacher." I looked back at Jace only to find him studying the thing like it was going to move.

I bit my lip to keep from laughing. He even moved it in different angles.

"Ok, I think I got this."

After four crumpled pieces of paper, I took the pad away from him. "Ok," I said through my giggles. "This is just sad now."

"How do you do it?"

I shrugged. "I guess I was just born with it. Here, try again. But this time, start with its basic shape and then start the details."

This time it came out looking a little better but still pretty bad.

"You up for a game of pool?" I asked.

Jace shook his head and tossed the pad across the room. "No, but I'll show you what I _am_ up for."

He gently pushed me back on the bed and began to pepper my neck with kisses.

"N…no," I moaned lightly as he continued to move down. "Jace, don't."

"Why?" he asked as he hands toyed with the hem of my shirt.

"Your parents-_Oh!_" Jace had interrupted me by grazing his hand over my crotch.

"My parents are what?" he teased.

"They're home. They'll hear us."

His hand rode up my stomach and slid under my bra. He smiled when he found my painfully hard nipple waiting for him. "Not if we're quiet."

I tried to shake my head but the pulsing of my clit was very convincing.

"Jace, no."

He unclasped my bra. "Yes." He threw my bra off the bed and kneaded my breasts.

Then he unbuttoned my jeans.

"No," I whispered.

"Yes."

_Clarissa!_

I gasped and grabbed Jace's hands. "Stop!"

He pulled away. "What's wrong?"

"It's Jonathan!"

I grabbed my stele and drew the Telepathy rune on my arm. "Jonathan?"

_He found out!_

"Who?"

_Valentine! He knows! He knows I'm not possessed!_

"Get out of there!"

_I can't! I don't know where I am! I'll get lost!_

"Well, you can't stay there! I'm not letting you get possessed again."

_There was never a way to escape him. We're going back to New York._

"Shit. You have to fight him, Jonathan. Don't let Azazel win."

_I could barely fight the other demon off. How am I supposed to fight the Prince of Hell?_

"I don't know but you have to try!"

_Clarissa, I want you to know that even though I've never met you, I love you._

"Oh, for the love of Christ! You're not gonna die! We're gonna find you. You just have to fight!"

_Valentine's here._

"Jonathan! Don't go!"

The rune was still there on my arm so I assumed that he could still hear me.

"We have people guarding the Chrysler Building. You're gonna be fine, Jonathan. I promise."

I gently moved out from under Jace and buttoned my jeans again. "C'mon, we have to tell everyone."

"Um, Clary?"

I turned around. "Yeah?"

He lifted my bra. "Forgetting something?"

After I was fully dressed, we went to Isabelle's room.

"I think Simon's in there," Jace said as we walked down the hallway to get Alec. "Just fair warning."

I rolled my eyes. "Great." I knocked on the door. "Hate to interrupt but we've got a situation. Meet us downstairs."

And before I could hear something I wished I hadn't, I raced downstairs to find Robert and Maryse in the kitchen starting dinner.

"Robert? Maryse?"

They turned to look at me.

"We have a bit of a situation," I said.

Maryse crossed her arms and I could see Robert brace himself. "What is it?"

"Valentine is on his way to the Chrysler Building. Is Luke and his pack watching the building now?"

"Yes, he is," said Maryse. "We have to go help them. They won't be able to handle Valentine _and_ Azazel. Would you go get Alec and Isabelle?"

"We're already here," Isabelle said as she emerged with Alec, Jace and Simon hot on her heels.

Isabelle and Alec were dressed in black and they had their weapons.

"You three," Maryse pointed to me, Jace and Simon, "stay here."

"What?" I crossed my arms and shifted my weight to one foot. "Maryse, in all due respect, Jace and I have been busting our asses in training and I think we at least deserve to back you up. And Camille has been training Simon pretty well too."

She shook her head. "No, we can't risk it. And that's final."

Robert and Maryse disappeared to get their weapons.

Isabelle rolled her eyes. "Screw that. You're coming. With all these demons, we can't afford to leave anyone by themselves."

"But what about Mom and Dad?" Jace asked.

"Don't worry about them. They can't physically make you stay. You're coming. Besides, if Jonathan's able to fight Azazel, he'll want to see Clary."

A few seconds later, everyone was being hustled out. And in their haste, the three of us, Jace, Simon and I, were able to run off with them. A lot easier than I thought.

Of course about half way there, Robert and Maryse realized we tagged along but by then it was too late to do anything.

_Clarissa!_

"Shit!"

"What?" Alec asked.

"They're already there! We have to hurry."

Of course with my luck, we were too late. Jonathan was right. Azazel was too strong to be fought by someone who only had a portion of Angel blood in him.

When we got to the building, Luke's pack were surrounding something. I couldn't see through them.

"Clary!"

I ran to meet Maia. "Hey! What's going on?"

"It's Luke," she said through her tears. "Valentine got to him! He was so fast!"

I pushed past her and others until I was standing over Luke's wolf.

I couldn't really tell what was wrong with him in wolf form but his leg was bleeding pretty badly and he was unconscious.

I didn't realized I was screaming until someone had picked me up and pulled me into his arms. I knew it was Jace. I could tell by his touch.

He rocked me slightly and rubbed my back as I sobbed into his chest.

"Everything is going to be ok," he mumbled next to my ear. "Luke will be fine. Magnus is on his way."

But everything _wasn't_ going to be ok. Luke was hurt, my brother was being possessed by the Prince of Hell and there was going to be a war. Nothing was ok. But I did know one thing.

Valentine was going to die.

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	36. Chapter 36

**Hey guys. I'm really sorry I didn't update last weekend. This last two weeks have been a little stressful. And I'm not gonna lie, this definitely isn't the best chapter I've written. The things that have been going are starting to take its toll on me. I know I should probably just take a little more time to fix it but I honestly can't bear to keep you guys on your toes anymore. I feel guilty enough. But anyway, enough of my blabbing, I hope this chapter doesn't suck as I think it does lol**

"He has three cracked ribs on his right side and on his left, one is broken and puncturing his lung."

I hadn't realized how tightly my hands were balled up until Jace loosened one of them and placed it in his own.

The gesture was sweet but I was so stressed I had to take out my frustration on something. I settled for grinding my teeth.

Magnus rand a hair through his blue sparkling hair and continued. "His jaw was dislocated so I'll have to ask that you only feed soft things. I don't recommend chewing."

Maryse nodded. "We can handle that."

"Well, that's pretty much it. Anything else is just too minor for worrying or is probably already healed. So, I'll be going back home."

"Thank you, Magnus. So much."

I looked at my mother and almost flinched at her horrifying state. Here usual bright green eyes were dull. They almost looked gray from where I was standing. The shadows under her eyes made her look like a zombie. The wrinkles on her forehead were more prominent now, making her look ten years older than she was. And her hair didn't look as radiant. I could see more grays than before.

"Mom?"

She looked up at me and grimaced. I think maybe she was trying to smile.

"Are you ok?"

"I've been better," she said lightly.

"Luke will be ok." I said it with confidence. I knew he would be ok. Magnus said that there was no doubt that he would be up and about in about a week. With werewolves' ability to heal faster than humans and Magnus's power to speed the healing process, things should be looking up for Luke.

"I know."

"Then why are you crying?" By this time, everyone had gone back to their rooms. It was only Jocelyn, Jace and I left standing here outside Luke's room.

Jace bent down to whisper in my ear. "Would you like me to give you some privacy?"

I nodded. "Please? I'll meet up with you later."

He kissed my temple. "Sure. I'll be in my room if you need me."

I squeezed his hand gently before letting go of him. "I always need you. But I'll come see you later."

With one last look, he turned on his heel and walked down the hallway.

Jocelyn ran another hand through her hair. "I'm so worried about you. While you're here training, you could be attacked like Luke was. And you don't heal as fast as he does."

I pulled out my stele. "Actually, I do."

"An _iratz_ won't heal everything."

"But it heals most things," I said. "Mom, look, I need you to trust me."

"Oh, honey." She stepped forward and held my face in her hands. "I do trust you. It's Valentine I don't trust."

I pulled her into a hug. "I'll be fine. I promise. Now, let's stop worrying about this, ok? Luke needs us to be there for him."

She nodded and we walked inside the infirmary.

We sat on either side of his sleeping form. We didn't say anything. I wasn't one to talk a lot about how I felt, a gene I inherited from my mother.

We sat there for a couple of hours only speaking when absolutely necessary. It was when Jocelyn started yawning that I told her to go home and that I'd stay with him.

Of course she refused but I at least got her to stay in one of the rooms in the institute.

I curled up in the chair and had a sudden wave of déjà vu. I thought back and saw myself sitting next to Isabelle after she'd been shot looking for my brother. The progress we've made since then almost made me smile.

The next morning, I woke up feeling warmer than usual. It made me feel bubbly which was strange because I usually wasn't a morning person and with everything that had been happening I wasn't exactly in a chipper mood.

I rolled over and was met with some very toned abs.

Unable to control myself, I traced the outline of muscles.

"Like what you see?"

I looked up into his sparkling gold eyes. "I do. How did I get here anywhere."

He rolled his eyes. "Silly girl. I carried you. You fell asleep in the infirmary."

I pulled myself closer to him and gave him a sorry excuse for a hug. It's actually harder than it seems while lying in bed. "Thank you. What time is it?"

"Almost seven. We have to get up to train."

I groaned. "Why can't I just stay here?"

He chuckled. "We have to get ready to kick butt."

I laughed into his shoulder. "Yeah, I guess you're right." I sat up and as the light blanket fell, I found myself only in my bra and panties. "You took my clothes off?"

"No one likes to sleep in their clothes," he said with a shrug. "Plus, I love seeing your creamy skin."

I would've scoffed or rolled my eyes or do something if the way he was looking at me didn't turn me on so much. And the fact that he was shirtless didn't help the situation.

I climbed out of bed and put my clothes from yesterday on. "Thanks for bringing me to bed. I have to go to my room to change. I'll meet you in the gym."

"Just like you were supposed to meet me last night?"

I mock glared. "I fell asleep by accident."

"Whatever."

I giggled and kissed him chastely. "I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

In one swift move, he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me down against him. "It better not."

I was too busy wiggling and laughing to respond. He was tickling my sides as punishment. "J-Jace, stop _it!_"

He only laughed and continued to torture me. Then finally, he rested his fingers. "Promise you won't do it again."

"I swear!" I said breathlessly. "I swear on the Codex I won't do it again."

He smiled. "That's more like it."

I pushed myself back to my feet and went to my room while Jace dressed.

In the gym, I got so used to seeing Alec and Isabelle sparring or doing some kind of training on their own. But it was different that time.

The two of them were on the floor polishing weapons.

With a shrug, Jace and I walked inside.

Alec stood up and handed Jace a seraph blade and me a dagger.

"Today they're training with weapons," said Alec. "As you already know, this artillery is special. It has chosen you to be its wielder. They're very easy to use, the reason being the weapons are in control of themselves. You just need to learn how to awaken their power."

Why was I thinking about Kingdom Hearts? Too many video games with Simon were kicking me in the ass right now.

Isabelle stood next to Alec. "Think of it like an on and off switch. Right now they're off. And you need to find the trigger that turns them on." She unwrapped the gold whip from around her wrist. "For example, my whip is a part of me. When I hold it, I don't even have to think about what I need to do for it to do what I want. It's like walking. You don't think about how far to stretch your leg. You're so used to doing it, it's effortless."

With a flick of her wrist she had the whip snapping in the air and then wrapped back around her wrist in just a few short seconds. "Who wants to go first?"

Jace elbowed me.

With a roll of my eyes, I followed Alec to where I guessed he and Isabelle set up the dart board.

"Ok." Alec instructed me to stand behind the tape he put on the ground. "Just like Isabelle said, it's effortless. The trick is to not try."

"Don't try?" I laughed. "That's what you've got for me?"

"You can do it."

With a sigh, I tried to relax my body. The dagger felt weightless.

I remembered the way I had thrown the dagger before. When Jace and I snuck out to the Chrysler Building, Isabelle and Alec were in trouble. I didn't think about any of my training. I threw the dagger as a reflex. And it went exactly where I hopped it would.

I looked at the small circle on the board and knew that I would hit the bull's eye.

The dagger slipped from my fingers and I saw it fly in a straight line to the board. When it hit dead center, I fought the urge to jump up and down.

Jace's loud clapping made me jump but I smiled at him in thanks.

"That was great!" Isabelle cheered. "See, didn't I tell you it was easy?"

"Yeah, yeah." I shoved Jace toward Alec. "Show us what you're made of!"

I watched Jace call the blade the life and twirl it in different ways. It looked a bit amusing to me but I guessed it would look more violent if a demon were standing in front of him.

"Either Alec and I are amazing teachers or you two are the most amazing shadowhunters I've ever met."

I looked over at Isabelle and smiled. "Should I say thank you or compliment your teaching skills?"

With a laugh, she shoved me lightly. "Shut up. You know what I'm trying to say."

I nodded. "And thank you. For saying but not really saying it."

"You're welcome."

I looked at Jace and I thought about the battle we were facing. I thought about how many lives that would be lost. I thought about the drawing I still had of Jace lying dead with a demon hovering over him.

It had been a little over a month since I've had that vision. I had told no one in hope that I would be able to protect him. Or that he would be able to protect himself.

"Clary?"

I tried to wipe any emotions that could be shown on my face away. "Yeah?"

"Are you ok?"

I nodded. "Absolutely."

We watched Jace work the seraph blade for a couple seconds in silence.

"Isabelle, can I ask you a question?"

She looked at me with a concerned look. "What is it?"

"Do you honestly think that Jace and I are good?"

"Of course." She crossed her arms. "I would never lie about something that serious. You know that."

I shrugged.

"Clary, what's going on that you're not telling me?"

I ran a hand through my hair. "I don't know. I guess I'm just worried that something is going to go right."

Isabelle wrapped her arm around my shoulders. I was still trying to get used to her kindness to me. "I swear to you, with everyone we have on our side, and your strength I might add, we'll be fine. I won't let anything happen to you. Or to Jace."

"How can you promise something like that to me?" I asked.

She winked. "Just trust me."

After training, all of us were about to go to our rooms for a nice cool shower when Maryse and Robert asked to speak to Isabelle and I.

"What's up?" Isabelle said as we followed her parents to the library.

Robert opened the doors to reveal a woman to be about Maryse's age. She had long blonde wavy hair that reminded me of Camille. Except she was way too chipper.

"I'd like you to meet Annamarie Highsmith. She's one of my good friends," Robert said. "And she agreed to help you with your ceremony."

Isabelle looked at each other and then back at her parents.

"Yes," said Maryse. "We're giving you our blessing. You may become _parabatai_ if it's what you really want."

"Clary?"

I gave Isabelle a huge smile.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?"

I nodded. "We've got some planning to do."

**Yeah, it was a bit rushed. I know. But I don't have a whole lot of time on my hands anymore. I hope it was somewhat enjoyable. Let me know! Reviews make me feel good :)**

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	37. Chapter 37

**So, I felt kinda bad that you had to wait two weeks for the last one so I'm updating a little early. I hope you enjoy it!**

As Isabelle and I raced down hallways, I couldn't help but smile. That was the most fun I'd had in what felt like forever.

We skidded to a stop in front of large oak doors.

Isabelle grinned ear to ear. "Ready?"

I nodded eagerly.

She pushed open the doors and we walked inside the church.

The church was absolutely beautiful. I've been to different churches and most were usually vandalized by stupid teenagers who thought they were cool. This was New York after all.

And on the inside there's little decoration.

But this one was amazing. Maryse and Robert really kept this place nice.

"Isn't it wonderful?" Isabelle said in awe.

"It is," I whispered. I was afraid that if I spoke too loud it would destroy the Lightwoods' hard work.

_Clarissa…I'm so sorry…_

"Jonathan?"

Isabelle looked at me with surprise. "Is he speaking?"

"I think so." I drew the Telepathy rune on my arm. "Jonathan? Are you there?"

_What did she look like?_

"Jonathan?"

_What did Mom look like?_

"I don't think he's talking to me. I think I'm hearing his thoughts."

Isabelle thought for a moment. "Maybe it is his thoughts. Maybe he's sleeping. Azazel is too powerful to fight. You know, assuming that Jonathan's still possessed."

I shrugged but I couldn't stop worrying about him. "I hope you're right."

As we walked down the aisle, I memorized the pattern of the porcelain floors. Brown, white and black tiles were scattered around the room.

Pillars lined the walls and near the tops were gold cherubs. The small chandeliers that hung in all corners of the room made the gold pop.

And in the back was a big stained glass window. And when I say big, I mean _huge_. The design was of Jesus Christ on the cross.

"So this is where we're having the ceremony?" I asked.

"Yep. I'm glad we chose this place. I honestly think this is the most beautiful church out there. But then again I'm a little biased and I haven't been out much."

I chuckled as I stopped to look at the window.

"By the Angel!"

I turned around to find Isabelle staring wide-eyed at me. "What is it?"

"We need to go shopping!"

I lifted a brow. "Um, Izzy? Don't you think that's a little dangerous? I mean, we have no idea where Valentine is. He could attack anywhere."

"Um, girls?"

We greeted Annamarie as she walked down the aisle to meet us.

"I didn't mean to eavesdrop on your conversation," she started, "but I heard you needed some dresses? For the ceremony?"

Isabelle nodded like her head so fast, I thought she was going to knock her head off her shoulders.

"I own shop not too far from here," she said with a light shrug. "And don't worry, it's absolutely safe. I made sure that nothing evil can even look at it. "What do you say?"

"Yes!"

I elbowed Isabelle. "I don't know. What about your parents?"

"Clary, like I said before. We're legal adults. We're free to go wherever we wish."

Annamarie nodded. "She's right. And if they allowed you to have the ceremony, then it's implied that you need to go shopping."

I crossed my arms. "How would they feel if they heard you say this?"

The woman placed her hand on my shoulder. "Let me worry about them, ok? Let's go."

Reluctantly, I went up to my room and grabbed my daggers. I strapped them both around my ankles and hid them under my socks.

Isabelle must have had the same idea because when I met her downstairs, she had her gold whip wrapped around her wrist and was shoving a gun in the back of her pants. "What are you bringing?"

"My daggers," I said. "Why, should I bring something else?"

She furrowed her eyebrows. "How many?"

"Two."

She handed me a pack of sure strikes. "Just in case."

"I don't know how to use these," I said.

"Don't worry," she replied, "they're just like daggers except without a handle. Or like a mini Frisbee. Either way, I'm sure you'll be fine. You might not even need them."

I took them and shoved them in my pocket. "Hey, Iz."

She looked up.

"I need you to be serious for a second."

She put her hands on her hips. "Ok, what's up?"

I sighed and looked at Annamarie from the corner of my eye. "Honestly, do you think this woman can be trusted?"

With a light smile, she said, "I don't know her that well either and I can understand why you feel this way. But she's friends with my parents. And even if we do run into trouble, we're both very well trained shadowhunters."

I sighed for the hundredth time.

"Clary, I promise, we won't be gone long. We'll find the dress we want and then come right back here. Two hours tops. Just trust me. Trust your _parabatai_."

Deciding to give her the benefit of the doubt, I nodded and followed her outside.

_Clarissa…blonde hair…blue eyes…like me…_

I tried to ignore Jonathan as I focused on the woman who was supposedly close friends with the Lightwoods.

_Clarissa…my twin…no, I'm older…can't be…_

Annamarie was fidgeting a lot. I guess that was kind of my fault. I never kept my eyes off of her. And with my hand hovering over the sure strikes in my pocket, I'm sure she was preparing to defend herself.

The three of us talked very little. We were all a nervous wreck.

Isabelle was looked at our surroundings, trying to look for any signs of demons. My target was locked on Annamarie and vice versa.

Finally, we stepped inside the store, _Highsmith_, and we all seemed to calm a little. Especially me.

On the inside the walls were white with what looked like a swirly design to humans but I knew better. They were runes. Annamarie wasn't lying. The place was absolutely protected.

"Feel better?" Isabelle whispered.

I took a relaxing breath. "Yes, thank you."

I wasn't a fan of shopping. Mostly because I never knew what to buy when it came to something important. I usually just grabbed plain shirt and jeans. But Annamarie was very helpful. She really knew what she was doing.

"You know what," she said as she continued to work her magic, "Izzy, I have the perfect dress for you. We just got some new stock of them this morning. Come."

We followed Anne (that's what she had asked us to call her) further to the back where she picked out a red dress that I had to agree was perfect for Isabelle.

It was casual but striking at the same time. It was plain red and had spaghetti straps with a belt.

"I'll try it on," she said. "Now let's find something for Clary."

I grimaced. "You know, I think we should try somewhere else, no offense Anne. It's just that there's mostly dresses here and I don't do dresses."

"I've seen you wear a dress before," Isabelle contradicted.

"Yeah, a very understated dress."

Anne hummed in thought. "We do carry a lot of dresses. Just give me a minute, I might be able to find something for you."

I shrugged and followed her to the wrack that held shirts. I felt myself smile.

"Do you like tunics?" she asked.

"I've never worn one before but they look nice. You think I can pull one off?"

"Of course!" She said as she picked one up. "Anyone can pull of a tunic. Here, this one. It's a cold shoulder v-neck."

It wasn't really my style but as I held it up to myself, I couldn't help but wonder if Jace would like me in it.

It was red and had see-through black stripes on it. "I think some black skinny jeans would look nice with these."

Isabelle and Anne grinned. "Now you're talking," they said.

After finding a pair that fit me, and about five minutes of making fun of my size, we found a nice pair of jeans.

"Ok, to the changing rooms!" Anne cried dramatically.

Isabelle tried on her dress first. It came just above her knees and showed just the right amount of cleavage. Not too much to make her look like a call girl but enough for it to be…Isabelle.

"I have these really cute boots at home," she said as she stepped out. "They're the same color as this belt. I think I can make those work with this."

Anne nodded her approval. "Ok, Clary, you're next."

I walked into the next stall as Isabelle got changed into her regular clothes.

Of course with all the weapons I was carrying, it took me a while to get changed.

"C'mon, Clary," Isabelle laughed.

I groaned as I spilled the sure strikes all on the floor. "I'm getting there." How the hell did Isabelle do this with a loose gun in her pants?

After putting them back into a neat pile, I put the outfit on and stepped out. It looked a little weird because my bra had bright pink skulls on them and the black strips were see-through.

Isabelle smirked. "You're sexy."

I tried not to cringe.

"Relax," she said, reading my thoughts, "not like that. I just never thought you could pull it off, no offense. I mean, all I ever see you in is baggy jeans and tank tops."

"I like to be comfortable," I defended.

"Whatever," she laughed. "But once this is all over, you're in desperate need of a new wardrobe."

_You mean "if,"_ I added silently.

After changing and paying for our clothes, we returned to the institute.

_Mother…long brown hair…brown eyes or blue?_

I had no idea what Jonathan was trying to do. He wasn't getting my looks or our mother's right at all.

Everyone was at the table for dinner. And if Maryse and Robert were upset about us being a.w.o.l. they didn't show it.

"So when were you planning on having the ceremony?" Robert asked.

Isabelle looked at me to answer.

"Tomorrow maybe?" It sounded more like a question than an answer but I wanted to make sure Isabelle was ok with it. By the smile she gave, I knew she was. "We want everyone to be there. Maia and Jordan, Simon and Camille, my parents."

He nodded. "It seems you've been doing a lot of thinking."

Isabelle laughed. "We've sort of been planning it after Mom said no."

Maryse rolled her eyes and changed the subject. "Well, that's good because tonight, we'll all be training with the rest of our allies."

"But we trained, this morning," Jace whined. "I'm beat."

Maryse glared. "If we don't train by the time the battle comes, you'll be beat to _death_."

I grabbed his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. We were all on edge.

"When exactly?" Alec asked.

"The minute the sun goes down," she answered.

_Never meet my family…_

I sighed.

"What's the matter?" Jace asked.

"Nothing," I said. "It's jut Jonathan."

"Is he speaking to you?"

I shook my head. "No, Isabelle and I think that he's asleep while Azazel uses his body for whatever it is he needs to use it for. I'm hearing his subconscious thoughts."

"What's he thinking?" Alec asked.

"He's trying to put a face to a name," I said. "He thinks I have blonde hair and blue eyes. And he pictures Jocelyn with brown hair and brown eyes. Or blue. I'm not sure."

Jace smiled. "He'll be so surprised when he sees you."

"_If"_, I thought again.

Maryse and Robert talked about the things we needed to work on in training and how to help the rest of the gang fight. She helped us figure out some battle strategies, told me about some important runes and by the time we actually got up from the table, it was time to train.

We met in the woods near the place Simon was Changed. It wasn't too far from the Institute so if anything happened, we didn't have to go far to be safe.

Luke couldn't do much with his healing ribs and sore jaw. But he was a shadowhunter once so I assumed he was familiar with our moves.

Simon and Camille made a good team. I wasn't worried about them one bit.

We all took turns demonstrating certain moves to the rest of them. And we allowed them to show us moves and strategies that we weren't familiar with. All the while, Jonathan's thoughts distracting me. This was the time for me to try to block out his voice so I could concentrate. I wasn't doing too well.

"Clary, what's going on?" Isabelle asked as she stood next to me.

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. "It's Jonathan. His thoughts are distracting me."

Isabelle wrapped her arm around my shoulders. "Don't worry. When time comes, adrenaline will kick in and you won't even hear him."

"You sure?"

"I would know. I've been at this whole shadowhunter thing for years."

I nodded and continued training.

**Well that's chapter 37! We've got about three or four chapters left and then we're done :( I'm not ready to let this fanfic go lol**

**Review plz!**

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	38. Chapter 38

**Hello again! Today is kind of a boring day so I figured I'd just update again lol Enjoy!**

I might have already mentioned this but everyone was stressed out.

Jocelyn had found a way to make herself physically sick from worry. For months she'd been worrying about me and with Luke on top of it, it's too much. She was now nursing a fever, stuffy nose and cough. _Great_.

Maryse had become more controlling, causing her and Robert to have many fights. The night before, they practically spent the entire night arguing. How to split the group if necessary, what to do if we happen to be outnumbered. If there was a topic to be debated, the two of them fought over it.

And Maia was on a very short fuse.

With everything going on, I was hoping that I'd be able to at least go to her. But for now, I had to give her space. Jordan was the only person she could talk to without blowing up. Though, she seemed to lighten up to me when I invited her to the _parabatai_ ceremony.

Alec, much like Maia, was perpetually pissed. But instead of shouting at everyone, he kept his mouth shut. He didn't talk unless absolutely necessary. He didn't comment on anything and his answers were curt. Magnus was doing well in trying to cheer him up. But after the latest stunt he pulled, I think even Magnus couldn't protect himself from Alec's wrath.

"Don't worry about Alec," Magnus had said to the wolf pack. "He has a bad case of PMS."

I winced as I remembered the long line of profanities and insults aimed at the sorry warlock.

Jace had become more clingy. I wasn't complaining. I loved cuddling with him at night. But his actions were always urgent and sometimes I found myself afraid to be around him.

Even Isabelle, who was usually like a rock in certain situations, was acting different. If I hadn't gotten to know her in the few short days we decided to play nice, I wouldn't have noticed it.

Isabelle was always a risk-taker. But it seemed like she was taking more chances than usual.

Like earlier today. We barely knew Annamarie and yet she jumped at the chance to go shopping with her while an army of demons were waiting to kill us.

And last night. She had "accidentally" forgotten her stele. She never forgot her stele. I'm pretty sure she sleeps with the damn thing.

So, when one of the wolves nicked her arm, we had to wrap it in gauze and tell her to sit out for the rest of the night.

The only person who seemed to be acting relatively normal was Luke. Thank the Angel.

And when he knocked on the door, I was more than happy to let him in.

"Hey, how are you?" I asked as he stepped though the door.

"I'm fine, you? This is a big day for you."

I nodded as I looked at the tunic Isabelle had bought me and the super tight skinny jeans.

"You look different."

I snorted. "That's an understatement. But you know Isabelle's motto: Go big or go home."

We chuckled at that and I saw him flinch when he did.

"Are you sure you're ok?" I asked. "How are you ribs?"

"They're fine, Clary."

After giving him a firm look, I moved on to his other injury. "Your jaw?"

"Healed."

I sighed.

"I got you something," he said as he held out a hair clip to me.

I picked it up to look at it. It was silver with fake emeralds on the edge. "It's really pretty," I said with a smile.

"I'm glad you like it," Luke said as he took it back. "Back when I was a young Shadowhunter, it was tradition to get both _parabatais _a gift but I don't know Isabelle that well."

"Trust me," I laughed, "Isabelle doesn't need anything else. I swear, every time I walk into her room, I'm tripping over useless junk she bought."

Luke's werewolf hands were surprisingly gentle as he pulled back my hair and put the clip in.

"Thanks," I said as I looked at it in the mirror.

Luke smiled as someone knocked on my door.

"Clary," Isabelle's voice called through the door, "are you ready?"

"Yeah," I replied, "I'll meet you down in the church in a minute."

After kissing my forehead, I left in the direction of the church.

"Friends, family, allies…"

_Why is she starting the ceremony like this?_ I thought. _Who does she think she is, Julius Caesar?_

"…thank you for joining us today. These two wonderful young ladies are here because they made a very important decision. And the rest of you are here because they wanted you to witness the magic happen."

_Again, why make is so dramatic? It's just friends and family._

"Today," Annamarie took a step closer to where all fifteen people sat. "two friends will become sisters. Two shadowhunters will become stronger. Two souls will become one."

_Seriously?_

She turned around with her stele in hand and drew the _parabatai_ rune on our forearms. "Now I will sit back and let Miss Lightwood and Miss Fray do the rest of the work."

Isabelle and I grasped hands and we recited the lines Isabelle made me memorize.

"Wither thou goest, I will go;

Where thou diest, I will die

And there I will be buried:

The Angel do so to me, and mor also,

If aught but death part thee and me."

The rune burned on our arms at the same time and I could feel the energy sparking between the two of us.

It got hotter and hotter. It made me want to squint my eyes up. Then suddenly, the hot air rose up and came back over us like a cool breeze.

I felt part of Isabelle go through me. Like I was able to read some of her thoughts.

Though I already knew this, Isabelle wasn't as hard on the outside as she was on the inside. On the inside there was love, fear and…heartbreak?

It made me feel self-conscious about the things she could be feeling about me.

"Raziel approves," Anna said softly.

Isabelle and I were _parabatai._ We were one step closer to getting Jonathan back. And killing Valentine.

****Two Weeks Later****

Two weeks.

It had been a full two weeks since the _parabatai_ ceremony.

I don't know what I had expected to happen after that. It wasn't like we were starting game. It wasn't like the minute it was finished, we'd be attacked. We had to wait. Valentine had to make the first move.

_Clarissa…_

Jonathan's sleepy thoughts were still making themselves known. But I've learned how to drown them out in training. Now, it was like I couldn't hear him at all.

And speaking of training, we'd all be working our asses off. But only because we were afraid Maryse would have an aneurism if we didn't.

We weren't afraid of dying. We accepted it what seemed like a long time ago.

And I know what you're about to say. "Speak for yourself…," blah, blah, blah. Well, for your information, I know for a fact that we've all accepted it. How, you ask?

Sex.

We've all been having sex like rabbits. And not the lovey-dovey good feeling sex. The "last time on earth" sex.

Maryse had told us to be ready for anything. And we were. We treated every day like it was the last one we'd see.

Last night, I thought Maia and Jordan were being attacked by the way they were growling last night. And Isabelle had not so subtly picked up the vitamin B and I think I even heard Maryse and Robert knocking boots.

Jace had stopped asking me what was wrong when I cried during sex after a couple nights.

Whenever I looked into his eyes, those fearful gold eyes, it sent me into hysterics. The thought of losing him was unbearable. And the only thing he could do to make me feel better was give himself to me.

Which was what I really needed as I sat on the bed and talked to him.

I didn't want to have this conversation and neither did he. But it seemed like it was impossible to ignore.

"Clary." Jace's voice was hoarse. "I can't lose you."

I closed my eyes. "I can't lose you either. That's what it all comes down to."

"I know," he said. "But I just want you to know that I love you. And I'm sorry if I'm unable to-"

"Stop," I interrupted. "Don't even go there, Jace Herondale. I know you're doing everything you can to help me as I am doing you. And let's face it, what are the chances anyone comes out alive in this?"

Jace looked down.

"I know that's a hateful thing to say but I want you to be prepared. We'll meet up again."

Jace rolled his eyes. "Don't give me that psycho-babble bullshit."

"It's not bullshit. Have faith in Raziel. He'll bring us together. I promise."

Jace took my hand. "Just tell me something."

I nodded.

"Are we fighting for the right thing?"

"Absolutely," I said.

"Good," he whispered. "If I die tonight, I wanna die fighting for what's right."

"Well, you wanna know what I want?" My voice cracked in the question.

Jace looked up at me knowingly.

"You," I said lightly. "Before I lose you."

Jace and I didn't waste any time taking our clothes off. What used to be a playful banter of teasing and kissing turned into an almost unemotional strip.

Jace grabbed my hair almost painfully as I clawed his back.

I pretended that I had the ability to literally hang onto him. If he died than I died. But then I knew that I couldn't let that happen because if for some strange reason, Isabelle were to stay alive, half of herself would be missing. All because I wanted to stay with Jace.

But then again, was that really such a bad desire? Isabelle understood, didn't she? She felt the same way about Simon.

Tears sprung to my eyes and spilled over. I didn't bother hiding them. They seemed to become of great use to Jace. They were his cue to hammer into me.

Except without the hammering part. Jace was barely able to get himself excited for me. It didn't offend me though because it was the same with me.

Sex wasn't really sex anymore. It was just a reminder of what we would miss in the future.

The orgasm at the end that usually signaled the end of intercourse was gone. Whenever one of us got tired, we had to tell the other and we would stop. Just like that. No cold showers needed.

The only good thing that seemed to come out of this was that our parents didn't bother objecting to our activities. We were allowed to spend the night together.

The nightmares didn't seem half as bad when Jace was lying next to me. But for some reason, I wasn't as happy about that fact as I should be. Maybe I would be more content if I woke up and Jace was actually lying next to me.

I know he slept with me. I remember one night, I stayed up and watched him sleep. And then early in the morning, the time we were used to waking up for training, he got up and left.

And this morning was no different.

I woke up a little after nine and Jace was nowhere in sight.

After taking a long, tearful shower, just like every morning, I made my way downstairs for breakfast.

I took my regular seat next to Jace and he held out his hand for mine.

Almost robotically, I placed mine is his. But its normal warmth was gone. I noticed this about a week ago. I was still adapting to it.

Maryse shoved a boring bowl of cereal at me when at sat down.

Without a comment, I ate. The normally tasteful Frosted Flakes tasted like cardboard.

After breakfast, Jace and I walked to his room, still holding hands.

We watched TV for the rest of the day. And just when we were about to get ready for training that night, I knew it was time.

_Idris…where's Idris?_

I shot up from the bed.

"What?" Jace asked with a worried face.

I swallowed. "Idris. We have to get to Idris."

**Uh-oh. Shit's about to go down haha. I hope you liked this chapter!**

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	39. Chapter 39

**Hey guys. Sorry I didn't update last weekend. I've been busy with my friends. Since the end of the summer is approaching, we've been hanging out while we still had the time. We don't get to see each other that often. Sorry if you guys feel neglected lol But here's chapter 39! Enjoy!**

"_Clary?"_

_I had woken up alone that morning again. And after wallowing in my self pity, I was going to head down to breakfast. But Jocelyn interrupted my morning routine._

_I opened the door and found her holding a Macy's box in front of her. "Hey, Mom."_

_She stepped inside and placed the box at the foot of my unmade bed. "I wanted to give this to you before it was too late."_

_I had forgotten all about the promise I had made to my mother. I swore that I would be ok during the battle. But now I wasn't so sure. I was having doubts._

_That wasn't the only promise I was breaking. I also told Jace that if anything happened to him, I would keep going for his sake. That promise would be broken whether I do it or Valentine does it for me._

_I was also leaving Isabelle by herself. I would be taking half of who she is away._

_With a sigh, I pushed the thoughts away and opened the box. Inside was a piece of clothing. It was all black and made of leather. It looked like a jumpsuit._

"_It was my old fighting gear. You should be able to fit into it," she said lightly._

_I held the suit up to me and smiled a little. I could finally get rid of that ratty black shirt and jeans._

"_Thanks, Mom. For everything."_

_She looked at me with her red-rimmed eyes and glistening green eyes. The corners of her mouth twitched slightly before she took a step forward and kissed my forehead._

_A tear slid down her cheek as she said, "I think I've done well."_

I thought back on the crappy goodbye I had given my mother as I strapped my weapon belt around my waist.

Jocelyn's jumpsuit made me look like Catwoman but I was glad to get out of those stiff jeans.

I tied the laces to my converse and wondered what I would do if for some reason, I survived and my mother didn't.

Sure, we fought a lot but she was my mother. She tried to keep my safe. I'd give anything to go back to the days when demons were hallucinations. The days when I went to school. The days when I could run away with Luke to his farm when I was upset.

Now, when I saw a "hallucination," I wasn't allowed to cower behind my parents. I had to do something about it. It was my responsibility.

With a sigh, I scraped my hair back into a bun and made my way downstairs.

I found Isabelle and Simon talking to one another at the bottom of the stairs.

Simon, dressed in his tight black shirt and dark jeans actually looked a little intimidating. And Isabelle was wearing a long-sleeved shirt with leather pants and boots.

"Why are you dressed like you're going out to a club?" I asked with a small laugh.

She simply shrugged. "If I die tonight, I'm dying in style."

I hated the way she said that as if it were nothing and I noticed that Simon felt the same way. But she walked away before we could say anything.

Without a word, Simon and I left the institute together, side by side.

Outside on the side of the building, everyone was huddled in a small circle, chattering lightly.

They were saying their goodbyes, I realized as Simon and I got closer.

The thought gave me goose bumps. I didn't want to say goodbye. I never wanted to say goodbye. We still had time didn't we?

Then I thought about the battle we were about to fight. I guess we wouldn't have time to say a rightful farewell if we were too busy in combat.

It didn't feel right to say goodbye. Maybe because I was so used to watching people say them on their death bed in movies. Maybe because I was expecting myself to disappear after I said the words. But of course, none of that happened.

I was still clinging myself to them in every way. I wasn't ready for all the pain and heartbreak that I was sure would come. I don't think any of us were.

I fought the urge to stomp my feet and whine about how everything was unfair.

Jace appeared next to me and I pulled his hand into a death grip. But I don't think he cared. Either that or he decided it was ok because he was doing the same thing with my hand.

No matter what happened tonight, I _would_ protect him. With everything I had.

Magnus opened the portal and had everyone jump through it.

I don't know what I was expecting to see when I got there. Maybe a flock of demons waiting for us. Or maybe even Valentine. But when we did, we saw nothing but Lake Lyn.

Everything seemed peaceful. There was a light breeze that made the trees and the grass. I could even smell honeysuckle.

"Looks like we beat Valentine here," Maryse said. "We might have to camp out here until we have eyes on him."

"No need," Luke spoke. "My sister, Amatis, lives nearby. I'm sure she'll let us stay."

"What about sleeping arrangements?" Jocelyn asked. "Not everyone has fifteen spare rooms."

"We'll figure something out."

It took a while a while to get away from the lake. We walked several miles before we finally reached civilization.

Still, not anything like I expected.

There were normal street lamps, normal sidewalks and very expensive cars passing on the roads.

"Amatis isn't far from here," Luke promised, noting the way some of us were beginning to limp. Mainly me. My feet were killing me.

About ten minutes later, Luke was pointing out a house on the corner. More like a mansion. I was starting to think she actually _did_ have fifteen spare rooms.

But to my and everyone else's disappointment, we didn't have enough time to figure it out.

"Something's wrong," Luke mumbled.

"What is it?" I asked. I looked at the house and saw what was wrong with the picture.

The front door was ajar. It was swinging lightly, the hinges squeaking in protest.

"Get your weapons, everyone," Robert said.

I grabbed my dagger and crept inside the house.

The house was swarming with Behemoth and Ibis demons. Luckily, they're both lesser demons so they were easy to kill. Especially since Magnus was around. One spell and everything within a ten foot radius was dead.

We found Amatis upstairs in her room.

Her brown hair fell in her face as she slumped against the wall. There were cuts on her arms and her clothes were stained with demon blood, her own blood and dirt.

"Amatis!"

Luke ran to her side and began drawing an _iratz_ on her arms. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she said slightly breathless. "Just tired. There's so many of them!"

"We know," Luke said. He looked at us. "Valentine is here."

Anger flared in her eyes. "You're kidding."

"Unfortunately, no, I'm not."

She pushed herself off the wall. "Where is he? I'll kill him."

"We don't know yet, but Amatis," Luke paused to grab her shoulders, "you have to go to the Clave."

"No! If Valentine is here then screw the Clave. I want him dead."

Luke shook his head. "Don't worry about him. We'll take care of him. But you have to go to the Clave in case they don't know. Besides, you need to rest."

She clenched her teeth and then groaned. "Fine, I'll go. But don't forget to get a punch in for me."

Luke smiled lightly. "Thank you."

I was sad to see her go. I mean, I kind of wanted to meet my step-aunt. But considering the timing, I guess I couldn't. I just hoped that we all survived so maybe one day I could actually meet her.

After Amatis left, we killed the rest of the demons that were wondering around in and around the house.

"Where are they coming from?" Isabelle asked in a frustrated tone.

"There." Alec pointed in the direction of where Lake Lyn was.

"How is that possible?" I asked. "We just walked pas there."

"They were hiding from us," Jocelyn said with anger. "Now we'll have to go all the way back. Do you know how long that will take? All of it could be over by the time we get there!"

I rolled my eyes. "Jeez, have you been retired for _that_ long?"

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

I raised my stele. "It's called a speed rune, Mom. Get with the program."

"Well," Maryse interrupted, "I think that Valentine's army is pretty big. If we all attack one side as a huge group, the rest will just dodge around us while we're not looking. So, I say we split up."

Good thing we already went over this in training. We split into small groups. Me and Jace, Simon and Isabelle, Camille and Magnus, Luke and Jocelyn, Maia, Jordan and Alec and the wolf pack.

Jace and I raced past the trees, our speed runes burning on our arms. I was about four feet ahead of Jace as we ran. Isabelle was right when she saidbeing _parabatai_ would give us more strength.

Finally, we reached a clearing in the woods where a small group of Forsaken were keeping watch. I thought back to my and Jace's first battle.

I looked at Jace who was smiling at me knowingly. "Ready?"

"Absolutely."

We emerged from the tree and attacked.

I killed two with a simple throw of sure strikes while Jace pounced on another.

I unsheathed my dagger and went for the last one.

This one was obviously trained well because he easily dodged my hits.

I thought about the way Isabelle and Alec used to fight in training. They looked so graceful and experienced. I wished I could see myself. Was I dancing like they were?

Finally, the tip of my dagger dug itself into the Forsaken's side. I slowed him down. I almost had him.

Of course, that was the moment something had to happen to me.

A wave of nausea came over me and my body became to shake all over. And there was this feeling in my gut. And it wasn't a "gut feeling" but it was like someone was tugging my side.

The _parabatai_ rune burned on my forearm.

Isabelle.

While I was distracted, the Forsaken knocked me to the ground and showed me his razor sharp teeth.

I thought he was going to kill me when Jace pulled him back.

"Do it, Clary!" he yelled. "Hurry! I can't hold him for long!"

I jumped up and pushed my dagger into his chest. Then the two of us jumped back as he exploded into a pile of black blood.

"What was that?" Jace asked, looking at me with worried eyes.

"It's Isabelle," I said as I retrieved my dagger. "I think she's in trouble."

"Is it the _parabatai_ connection?"

I showed him the rune.

He nodded. "Ok, let's go."

We continued our race through the woods. And as we passed another group of lesser demons, Jace said, "Don't worry about them. We'll kill them later."

After a couple minutes of searching and running, we found Isabelle leaning over what looked like an unconscious Simon.

"What happened?" I asked. Then I noticed Isabelle feeding Simon her blood.

"Simon was attacked by an Agramon. His wound is healed but he needs blood so he can get his strength back," she explained as she gently brushed his hair out of his eyes.

"Ok, we'll stay here with you in case anything decides to surprise you."

Isabelle shook her head. "No, you have to meet everyone in the field in the center of the woods. That's where Valentine and Jonathan are."

"No!" I yelled. "I won't leave you here."

"You have to!" she argued.

"I'll stay," Jace said. "Clary, you go."

I shook my head, remembering the picture of Jace's dead body. "No. We're not splitting up."

Isabelle gave me a sad look. "Clary, I promise if you leave now, we'll be right behind you."

I looked at Jace as tears welled up in my eyes.

"I'll make sure he's safe," she said.

Simon's eyes began to flutter open.

"See?" said Isabelle. "I'm almost done. Now go."

With a kiss goodbye from Jace and a hug from Isabelle, I left in the direction of the field Isabelle was talking about.

When I got there, I was surprised to see everyone there.

There were a couple of demons there but since there were so little of them and a whole lot of us, some of us sat back to rest.

Camille was the first to meet me. "Where's Jace?"

"He's behind helping Isabelle," I said. "She and Simon got into a little trouble and they wouldn't let me stay and help."

"Is Simon ok? I knew something was wrong."

"He's fine, I think," I said. "They should be here soon."

Camille sighed as she looked past me. "I can see them now."

Isabelle and Simon cam to join me. "See? I told you we wouldn't be long."

"Where's Jace?" I asked as my heartbeat began to thud in my throat.

Confused, Isabelle and Simon looked around. "Aw, shit."

"Tell me you know where he is?!" I shrieked.

"He was right behind us a minute ago!" Simon said. "I don't know where he is."

I pushed pas the two of them. "I have to find him."

**Uh-oh. Shit is about to go down haha next chapter next chapter will be very interesting.**

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	40. Chapter 40

**Ok, guys. This is it. The moment we've all been waiting for. You ready? Ok. 3...2...1...READ!**

I found Jace by Lake Lyn.

It was like the picture had come to life. Jace was lying in the same position I had drawn him in in my sketchbook. His head lolled to the side, his arm lied above his head with his fingers relaxed around the base of the seraph blade. Even blood-stained grass looked the same.

The only difference was the demon.

I'm not sure what kind of demon I drew before but it definitely wasn't the five foot tall spider that was crawling toward Jace's dead body.

Spidey, as I had so politely dubbed him, had eight pincer-tipped arms and poison-dripping fangs protruding from its eye sockets.

I knew that if I just ran up to it and tried to kill it, it would cut me with its pincers. So, I grabbed the sure strikes Isabelle had given me and aimed for its aimed for its arm.

It shrieked a very non-spidery shriek. It sounded like a giant mouse instead of a giant spider. Though, I've never heard a spider yell before.

It turned to my direction and stood up on its back legs.

Before it could get to me, I climbed up the tree.

But me being the dumbass that I am, forgot that it was a spider. Imagine my surprise when it climbed up after me.

It opened its fangs and spat acid at my face.

I threw my arms up cried out when it hit my skin. I could see the steam come from my forearm afterwards.

I jumped down from the tree and threw my dagger at its abdomen while it still hung from the tree.

"Clary!"

Isabelle had come just in time to see Spidey die.

"Are you ok?"

I bit my lip as it trembled.

"What happened?" she asked.

I looked over at Jace and I felt her stiffen.

"Oh, Raziel," she whispered shakily. "No, no. He can't be dead. Tell me he's not dead!"

I walked over to his body and dropped down to my knees.

Jace looked so pale. His lips matched the color of his skin, his golden hair looked like it had been bleached and even his runes were beginning to fade.

I wrapped my tiny arms around his neck and cried into his shoulder.

I could faintly hear someone calling my name in the distance but I ignored it.

"Clary, get up."

I ignored the person again.

It was only when I felt something hot on my finger that I looked up.

There was a rune shining on the back of his neck. And it wasn't shining like the other runes.

Most runes shined like a flashlight. And if they were really strong, they would shine like gold. But this one was different. It was blue.

The rune looked like a diamond. I don't think I'd ever seen that rune before. But as I looked at it, I could only think of one word to match it up with: Angel.

"Clary, look!"

I turned around and found Isabelle's teary eyes locked on the lake in front of us.

I turned and saw what she was freaking out about.

It looked like it was boiling.

I dipped my finger in, expecting it to be hot. But it was the opposite. It was freezing cold.

Then the water turned into the same blue that the rune was shining.

"I think we should back up," I said in a hoarse voice.

Isabelle and I inched back slowly, not taking our eyes off the lake.

Then a large beam of light came from the water. The light was so bright, I had to turn my head and block my eyes.

When the light dimmed, I turned back around and saw someone walk toward me.

I blinked a few times to get a good look at him but I didn't need to see to know who it was.

I could feel the power radiating from him. Not to mention he was glowing. Literally. Glowing.

Raziel definitely didn't look the way I pictured him.

He didn't look a day over twenty. He had what I liked to call a "baby face." His eyes were a bright blue and his brown hair was cut short. His features weren't too sharp but he did look handsome. Not an Oh-my-Angel-he's-hot handsome but in a wow-he's-powerful way.

His eyes locked on me. "Stand, child."

I did as I was told and stood.

"You are very brave, my child. I admire that."

I didn't know what to say to that so I didn't say anything at all.

He looked at Jace's corpse lying in the grass. "Child of Herondale." Then he looked back at me. "Child of Fray. The two of you together are the purest of all Nephilim."

I looked at Isabelle, remembering she had said the same thing to me once.

"Look at me."

I turned back to Raziel.

"You inspire me."

"I do?" I didn't mean to blurt it out so rudely but hearing Raziel say that to me caught me off guard.

He ignored my comment. "I can offer you one wish."

"Jace," I said immediately. "Can you bring him back to me?"

"Is that what you want?" he asked. "Remember, you only get one wish."

"Yeah."

His eyes darkened slightly. "You may be the purest but you _will_ speak with conviction to me."

I swallowed. Who knew Angels could be so scary? "Yes," I said strongly.

"Very well."

The Angel knelt by Jace's side and simply placed two fingers to his forehead. And after a moment, he stood again.

"He should wake shortly," he said as he turned back to me. "And one more thing." Raziel touched the back of my neck gently with his hand and I could feel the burn of a new rune.

I was just about to ask what he drew when he drew me in to whisper in my ear. "Use my power wisely."

Raziel walked over to Isabelle who only stared at him with wide eyes.

He lifted up her arm and examined the _parabatai_ rune. "The two of you make a good pair," he said. "Don't disappoint me."

She took a deep breath. "We won't."

We watched in awe as Raziel walked back to the lake and disappeared in the same light he came in.

A light cough from Jace pulled us out of our heads and back to the task at hand.

"Jace?" I pushed his hair out of his eyes. "Are you ok?"

Isabelle sighed in relief. "You really gave us a scare."

"What happened?"

I didn't want to say anything that would cause him to fire a bunch of questions or say anything cryptic so I let Isabelle answer.

"You were saved."

We helped Jace back to his feet.

"How do you feel?" I asked worriedly.

Jace looked at his body and bounced on his toes. I guessed he was testing his abilities. "I feel great."

"Good, 'cause we need to get back to the field," said Isabelle.

A wolf howled in the distance.

"Pronto," Isabelle added.

The three of us ran back to the field and I was shocked at the sight of my brother.

Isabelle and Jace immediately jumped into battle but the only thing I could do was stand there.

Jonathan looked so different than I expected.

He was tall. Like, really tall. Almost Magnus' height and he was almost 6'4''. His muscles were toned and his bleach blonde hair looked white in the dark. But what had me startled was his face.

Black veins started under his chin and rose up to his eyes, which were completely black. There were no whites. Just black.

"You really think," Jonathan-Azazel said in a deep voice, "you can defeat me with those things? I'm the creator of weapons."

I blinked and snapped out of my trance.

Instinctively, I raised my hand and I could feel Raziel's rune burning my neck.

A pentagram was burned into the ground and Azazel roared when he saw he was trapped.

I walked toward him.

"Clary, no!" Magnus yelled to me. "Once you walk inside the circle, he can hurt you!"

"I know what I'm doing," I said as I stepped inside.

Azazel smiled darkly and lifted his hand to strike me but I was quicker.

I placed my hand on his head, the rune on my neck still burning.

Azazel fell to his knees with a cry as black smoke came out of Jonathan's mouth.

When it was all out, I dragged Jonathan's unconscious body out of the circle as Azazel reformed himself.

Magnus stood next to me, blue sparks coming from his fingers. "Raziel came to you, didn't he?"

I nodded.

"You still got some of his power?"

"Yes."

Magnus smirked and lifted up his hands. "Wanna help me out?"

"Absolutely."

The blue light that came from my hands engulfed Azazel as Magnus mumbled the words to a spell.

In less than thirty seconds, Azazel had sunk into the ground and went back to Hell where he belonged.

We all stood there panting, not knowing what to do. What does one do after killing a Prince of Hell?

"Can we go home now?" I asked.

Jonathan groaned slightly and we all turned to look at him.

"Not yet kiddo," Magnus said to my question. He sat by Jonathan and helped him sit up.

"Don't panic," he said calmly. "We're the good guys. But we need you to do us a favor."

"What are you talking about?" Jonathan said in a cracky voice. "Where's my sister?"

I sat down next to Magnus and waved awkwardly. "Hey."

"Clarissa?"

I nodded. "Yeah, it's me."

He surprised me by hugging me.

I thought it was going to be weird, meeting my long lost brother. But it wasn't. I was glad. We all survived. I saved Jonathan. I saved Jace. No one was hurt. It was a miracle.

"Jonathan?" I whispered.

"Yeah?"

"I need to ask you a very important question."

Jonathan let me go and held me at arm's length. "What is it?"

"Do you know where Valentine is?"

"He's at his old house."

"His old house?" I repeated.

Jonathan shrugged. "I've never seen it so I can't tell you where it is."

"I can."

I looked up at Jocelyn. "You can?"

"We moved in together when we were engaged," she said. "I know exactly where it is. Follow me."

We all stood in front of the house. Or cabin, I should say.

It wasn't far from Lake Lyn. It seemed like a place someone would come to for a vacation not a place to live in. But it was a good hideout, I guess.

"Do you think it's necessary for all of us to go in?" Jordan asked.

"Probably not," Luke said.

Maryse pulled out her gun. "I'll go. The rest of you stay here."

"No," Robert objected, grabbing her arm. "You could get hurt. Let me."

"Guys," Isabelle said impatiently. "None of you should go in there. This is something completely different and you know that." She took the gun from her mother and handed it to me. "Clary should go in."

"Me?" I said stupidly.

"Yes. You."

I took the gun and walked to the front door. "You're sure about this?"

Isabelle nodded. "We'll be out here to back you up if anything goes wrong."

Tucking the gun in my belt, I stepped inside and looked around carefully. The place was completely empty.

No furniture. No small gadgets lying around. Nothing.

I walked down the hallway and saw a small lamp. The light gave enough light for me to see Valentine sitting in a chair with a bottle of bourbon hanging loosely from his fingers.

"Clarissa," he slurred. "It's great to see you."

I didn't say anything. I just stared at him. He had the same white blonde hair as Jonathan and his pupils were enlarged. But I could see small green irises around them.

"You look just like you're mother."

"Why did you do this?" I asked.

"Do what?"

"This!" I yelled. "You possessed Jonathan! You're only son! You realize you could have killed him!"

"I only did that so I could meet you," he said while blinking slowly.

"Excuse me?"

"I only wanted to meet my only daughter."

"You're sick," I spat.

"Drunk," he corrected. "I'm drunk."

I rolled my eyes and wrapped my hand around the base of the gun.

"It's a shame," he mumbled. "I was so close."

"Close to what?" I said without thinking.

"Close to ruling. The demons and I would have been happy. All the Angels trapped in Hell would be free. Everything would be perfect."

"What wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with _you_?"

Valentine stood up and unsheathed a seraph blade. Obviously he wasn't too drunk to kill me.

Before he could even lift the blade, I pulled out my gun and put bullet in his head.

He fell back into his chair and I watched the life drain from his eyes.

"Good riddance," I said to myself.

I left the cabin and handed Maryse her gun. "It's done. Now can we go home?"

She smiled. "Yes. We can go home now."

**I really hate to see this fanfic go :( I really loved writing it. I hope you all enjoyed reading it too! Maybe I'll write an epilogue. Yeah, I'll write an epilogue. Lol just so I can have one more chap to write. Yeah. That's what I'll do. So stay tuned everyone!**

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	41. Epilogue

**Wow. So this is it. I never thought I'd see the day. I'm not sure I really _want_ to see this go. LOL I think I'm having anxiety issues right about now. Well, I'll shut up and let you guys read. **

"What's your favorite color?" Jonathan asked.

"Green," I said. "You?"

"Red," he said after a moment of thought.

"What's your favorite book?"

"Les Miserables. Yours?"

I hummed in thought. "If I tell you, you have to promise not to laugh."

"Why would I laugh?"

"Because it's not a complicated classic book."

Jonathan rolled his eyes. "I only picked that book because it was one of the few I could find in Valentine's house. If I had a chance to read something else, I would. Comic books interest me."

I smiled. "You're a man after Simon's heart."

He laughed. "Ok, c'mon. Answer the question."

"City of Bones by Cassandra Clare," I said without hesitation. "It kind of relates to what I've been going through."

"I'll be sure to read it sometime."

"Next question."

"Right, um…favorite desert?"

"Ice cream."

"Ice cream?"

I lifted a brow. "What's wrong with ice cream?"

"Nothing. I've just never had it."

My jaw dropped. "You're kidding."

He shook his head.

I gasped in horror. "We have to get you some. Right now."

"Is that really necessary?" he laughed.

"John, you're not living your life to the fullest if you've never had ice cream," I said. "Now, let's go."

After dragging everyone out to our favorite diner, I bought John's first cone of ice cream.

"John, you seriously have to try this," I said as I rushed back to the booth with my brother and the rest of the gang.

He took the cone of ice cream. "You swear it's good?"

I rolled his eyes. "Have I given you a reason to not trust me?"

"Not yet, Clarissa."

"I told you," I said as I urged him to take a lick. "You can call me Clary. Everyone else does."

Everyone leaned in close as Jonathan brought the ice cream cone to his lips. He licked it and…

"Mm, that's really good," he said.

We all cheered, earning glares from the people who ran the store.

"I told you that you'd like it," I bragged.

"I still can't believe Valentine never gave you ice cream," Isabelle said as she said as she licked the icing off her cupcake. "Remember when I said shadowhunters don't have lives?"

I nodded.

"Yeah, I may have exaggerated a little. Jonathan's the one who's been living under a rock for the last twenty years."

"We should have him try a s'more next," Alec laughed.

"Oh my Angel, yes!" Jace cheered. "Maybe we can even go camping."

"Maybe Luke will take us to his farm," I suggested.

Simon sighed gloomily. "I miss deserts."

We laughed and told him to keep drinking his blood.

Maia looked down at her watch. "We should probably hurry this up if we want to get to the bowling alley before it gets really crowded."

I smiled when I thought about the conversation we had before the battle with Valentine. We dreamed that we would celebrate afterwards but we never believed it. And now we were here. Sitting in the diner, eating sweets. On our way to the bowling alley.

The seven of us walked to the subway, for Jonathan's benefit of course, and walked the rest of the way to the alley.

"Magnus?"

I looked up after hearing Alec call Magnus and was surprised to see the warlock sitting on the steps.

"What are you doing here?" Alec asked before I could.

"Your parents told me you were going bowling and I figured you needed an even amount of people to play."

I looked around and saw he was right. There were only seven excluding Magnus.

I looked at my brother. "You ready to bowl?"

"I guess," he said warily. "You'll help me, right?"

"Of course."

We walked inside as Isabelle's phone rang. We set up the game as she talked.

"Is everything ok?" I asked when she hung up.

"Yeah," she said with a smile. "It was just my mom telling us to tell Jonathan he has to start training."

"You and Alec are gonna train him, right?" I asked.

She nodded. "Yeah and you too."

"Me?"

Isabelle laughed. "Duh! We sort of need the purest of all Nephilim."

I watched at Jonathan shot the bowling ball right into the gutter. "Oh, this is gonna be fun."

"Bet your ass it is."

When Isabelle and I joined our group of friends, Jonathan spoke.

"Hey."

We looked up.

"Shadowhunters' drinking age is fifteen right?"

I gave him a knowing smirk.

"We should hit the bar after this."

"I'm in," Isabelle cheered.

"Me too," I said.

Maia and Jordan were quick to join in as were Jace and Alec. We didn't even need to ask Magnus. If he weren't a warlock, I would've guessed he was an alcoholic.

"Let's make this game a little more interesting."

We all looked at Magnus.

"Every time someone shoots a gutter ball, that person takes a body shot."

I immediately knew I was going to regret this in the morning. I was a terrible bowler. "Ah, shit."

"And the losing team pays," added Alec.

"Well," I said as I grabbed the first ball. "I'm gonna be wasted."

Everyone laughed as I stepped up to the aisle.

I tossed the ball and watched it roll down the middle.

Keeping my fingers crossed, I hoped the ball would stay in that direction. "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon…"

And…gutter ball.

Yeah. Totally wasted.

**Well, that's it. That's the end. I hope you all liked this fanfic! I certainly did. Nine months and now we're finally through. Wow. That was long enough to make a baby XD**

**I hope you all enjoyed your summer as well! I'm gonna miss it. I start school the day after labor day. Ugh, I'm so not looking forward to it. So, if this is you're last little bit of summer than enjoy it while you still can! And if you're already in school then I'm sorry I didn't update this earlier.**

**Leave me some love!**

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